Author: Webdesk

After a heroic first half that saw them withstand intense Australian pressure, India were undone by a calamitous mistake from Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, their vastly experienced goalkeeper. Jordan Bos added a second in the 73rd minute to give the scoreline some gloss, and Australia, the 2015 champions, were ultimately good value for the three points in this Group B encounter at the 2023 Asian Cup. As well as they defended for the most part, India will need to show far more creativity and intent against Uzbekistan and Syria if they’re to progress out of the group stage. India sprang a…

After a disastrous World Cup on home soil in 2022, Qatar took a first step on the road to redemption with a straightforward 3-0 victory over Lebanon in the first match of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. Champions in 2019, when they dominated a continental competition like no side before or since, they were indebted to goals from two of their experienced stalwarts for their strong start. Akram Afif, Asian Footballer of the Year in 2019, opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time, and Almoez Ali – top scorer with 9 goals in the last tournament – added a…

On the morning of June 14, 2022, Sunil Chhetri and his team made headlines, announcing India’s qualification for the AFC Asian Cup 2023 in Qatar before their last match of the Qualifiers against Hong Kong. In the evening, India triumphed 4-0 over Hong Kong, concluding an unbeaten run in the final round. Ishan Pandita, scorer of the fourth goal, celebrated by kicking the corner flag, turning Yuba Bharati Krirangan into a theatre of euphoria. Now, the Indian contingent for the upcoming AFC Asian Cup are in Doha, possibly wishing for another such night when the Blue Tigers face Australia, Uzbekistan,…

Web Desk Sahal Abdul Samad, who picked up a grade-1 ankle sprain after a horror tackle from Ahmed Jahouh a month ago, is unlikely to play any part in India’s upcoming Asian Cup campaign. Unlike other key, injury-hit players – Jeakson Singh and Anwar Ali, to name just two – Sahal was named in the squad, but that was more to do with the fact that the team’s medical staff wanted to monitor his recovery over the next month ahead of crucial World Cup qualifiers, home and away, against Afghanistan in March. Sahal, whose form for Mohun Bagan Super Giant…

Sutume Kebede and Daniel Simiyu Ebenyo stole the limelight at the Tata Steel Kolkata 25K Marathon 2023, clinching top honours in the International Elite Category and setting event records. Ebenyo, a two-time world championship silver medalist from Kenya, clocked an impressive 01:11:13, adding to his triumph at the Vedanta Half Marathon in Delhi this year. Meanwhile, Ethiopian sensation, Kebede, secured her place in history with a remarkable finish of 01:18:47 in the International Female Elite Category. Not to forget, Yalemzerf Yehualaw, the second-best in the world for half marathons, did it in 01:19:26 and got second place. Betty Kibet, aiming…

Defying odds, Mohun Bagan SG secured a hard-fought 2-2 draw in Wednesday’s ISL match against Odisha FC, thanks to Armando Sadiku’s double strike, which included an equaliser in the dying minutes. However, Yuba Bharati Krirangan witnessed too much drama. It left Mohun Bagan SG with a huge worry going ahead in their campaign to defend the title. Placed third, having played fewer matches than the top two, their injury concerns are growing. In different degrees, as many as nine players are in that list. Anwar Ali, Ashique Kuruniyan, Manvir Singh, Dimitri Petratos, Hugo Boumous, Anirudh Thapa, Sahal Abdul Samad, Glan…

India face formidable Qatar in a crucial group stage fixture of the World Cup 2026 and Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers in Bhubaneswar on November 21 (Tuesday). After the heartbreak of the loss to Australia in the cricket World Cup final, it’s time for Sunil Chhetri & Co to uplift the spirit of the nation against the hosts of the 2022 football World Cup in front of the home crowd. While the task appears challenging for the Blue Tigers, their impressive start with a 1-0 win against Kuwait is a significant morale booster. Moreover, having secured a hard-fought draw against Qatar…

Manvir Singh’s superb breakaway goal in the 75th minute inspired a famous Indian victory at the Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait City on Thursday night, as the side coached by Igor Stimac and led by Sunil Chhetri started the World Cup qualifying campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 victory against their hosts. It was India’s first away win in a World Cup qualifier in 22 years. Lallianzuala Chhangte, the architect of the goal, had come on substitute in the 64th minute, replacing Naorem Mahesh. Akash Mishra, whose overlapping runs down the left flank were such a big part of…

Rahul Giri at Eden Gardens, Kolkata Any fans present at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on October 31 for the Bangladesh-Pakistan World Cup match could have easily compared the atmosphere to what they usually experience during the Kolkata Knight Riders’ home games in the IPL. While attendance was notably sparse for some of the non-India matches earlier in the tournament, there was a raucous atmosphere at Eden Gardens for the Bangladesh-Pakistan game. I was there in the stands, and what stunned me was the enthusiasm of the Bangladeshi supporters, who remained energetic throughout the entire game. More than 25,000 fans…

Rahul KP’s remarkable strike on the stroke of half-time and Gurmeet Singh’s heroic saves were overshadowed by China’s dominant performance as the hosts secured a convincing 5-1 victory over India in the group stage of the Asian Games football competition. India, who could name only six substitutes, played the match just 18 hours after their arrival in Hangzhou. For many of the young players, making their national team debut was a dream come true. While it would have been a monumental achievement if they had managed to cling on to the half-time scoreline (1-1), the second half brought with it…