Indian Football team were handed a 3-0 loss in their second game of the AFC Asian Cup 2023 campaign. A 77-ranked Uzbekistan put the Blue Tigers on the back foot with 3 first-half goals. Goals from Fayzullaev, Sergeev and Nasrullaev in India vs Uzbekistan have now put India’s dream of qualification at a stop.
Igor Stimac made three changes to the starting lineup as he brought in Anirudh Thapa, Mahesh Naorem and Akash Mishra as the Blue Tigers aimed to keep their momentum from the Australia game. However, things started going downhill from the early minutes itself.
It took Uzbekistan only four minutes to register their first goal when Fayzullaev beat the Indian defence. Nasrullaev swung a cross into the penalty area that the youngster cleverly put behind Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
The evident gaps in Indian defence were vividly visible and the Uzbeks took complete advantage of it. In about a quarter of an hour later, Uzbekistan doubled their lead through an error in defence. Rahul Bheke lost the ball cheaply near the halfway line, and Fayzullaev capitalized on the error by snatching the ball and making a run at goal.
Once inside the box, he looked to square the ball at the far post, but Mishra tried to intercept the ball. Mishra’s touch led to the ball hitting the crossbar and coming back into play. With the entire Indian defence in disarray, Sergeev rushed in to lash the ball inside the net from a close distance.
While India thought they were making their way into the game, a third goal just ahead of the break was enough to put India’s hope in the back seat. A right-flank cross was delivered for Uzbekistan, and Nasrullaev positioned himself ahead of his marker,
Manvir, trying to sidefoot the ball into the net. His shot struck the post, rebounding into play. The Indian defense failed to react swiftly, allowing Nasrullaev to capitalize on the rebound with a straightforward finish. Thus India headed into the break in a 3-0 trail.
igor Stimac’s improved considerably in the second half with Rahul KP coming in for Manvir Singh. India had their best chance of the night in the 50th minute. Mishra’s left-sided cross proved challenging for Yusupov as he awkwardly palmed the ball away. Rahul KP’s subsequent shot on the rebound struck the crossbar and remained in play. The ball then descended to Chhetri, who managed to take a shot at goal but couldn’t generate enough power to trouble Yusupov.
Rahul Bheke also had a towering chance in the 77th minute to reduce the gap. Rahul Bheke came close to scoring when he received a free header from an India corner. He timed his jump effectively and generated sufficient power, but Yusupov stayed vigilant, tipping the ball over the bar. However, despite a lot of goal-mouth action later, the score remained the same, with India’s Asain Dream coming to a halt.
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