The Indian football team has had a major blow ahead of their final group match of the CAFA Nations Cup against Afghanistan on Thursday. Dependable centre-back Sandesh Jhingan has returned home from Tajikistan after sustaining a jaw injury in the clash against Iran. His absence is expected to weaken the solidity of India’s backline against a physical Afghan side.
In the opening game, India’s defensive resilience and goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu’s assured presence between the posts laid the foundation for a crucial win over Tajikistan. Even against Iran, ranked 20th in the FIFA standings, the Jhingan–Anwar Ali partnership stood tall, keeping the game goalless until the 59th minute. Without Jhingan, head coach Khalid Jamil will have to rethink his defensive structure. Chinglensana Singh is available, but his ability to strike up an understanding with Anwar Ali remains untested. Jamil may even consider shifting Rahul Bheke from full-back to a central role to shore up the defence.
Jhingan’s injury, while a setback for India, has also put FC Goa on alert, as they face Al Zawraa in their AFC Champions League 2 tie on September 17 and will be monitoring Jhingan’s recovery closely.
Thursday’s match against Afghanistan is a must-win for India. Iran, having already won both of their matches, looks set to top the group unless Tajikistan spring an upset in their final outing. Currently, India and Tajikistan are level on three points each. Victory over Afghanistan would secure India second place and progression to the playoffs. A draw could also suffice if Tajikistan lose to Iran, but history offers a warning—India’s last two encounters with Afghanistan in Asian Cup qualifiers yielded disappointing results. Jamil’s men, therefore, face a stern test as they look to overcome a determined Afghan challenge and keep their campaign alive.
As already broken on RevSportz earlier, sources close to Jhingan have confirmed that he is undergoing surgery on Thursday, and doctors are yet to comment on the recovery period. As it stands, FC Goa is unsure of the services from their star defender in their all-important ACL-2 clash.
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