With no Eldor Shomurodov in the XI lining up against them, India went into this Asian Cup encounter against Uzbekistan with high hopes. It took the Central Asian side just 18 minutes to pour cold water – two buckets worth – on those Indian dreams, and the game was as good as over when Sherzod Nazrullaev added a third goal in the dying seconds of the first half. Unlike against Australia, when they fed off scraps, India had plenty of the ball against Uzbekistan. They struck the woodwork twice and forced Utkir Yusupov into a couple of excellent saves, but were undone by the kind of defensive naivete that had Igor Stimac, the coach – once a tough and uncompromising centre-back – throwing his arms up in despair.
Had you seen the first-half stats – India with 59 per cent possession – you wouldn’t have believed the scoreline. India didn’t lack endeavour, but once again, the opponents were far more accomplished with the ball at their feet. Having kept Australia at bay for 51 minutes in their first game, India came out against the Uzbeks with the more offensively minded Akash Mishra at left-back and Anirudh Thapa restored to the midfield in place of Deepak Tangri. Lallianzuala Chhangte was absent, but his teammates in forward positions had barely broken sweat by the time India went a goal behind.
Against Australia, Gurpeet Singh Sandhu’s howler cost India. In the fourth minute against Uzbekistan, he was again partly culpable. When a cross came in from the left, Otabek Shukurov sent a looping header back across the box. Gurpeet came off his line and then seemed to pause. In the end, he was in no-man’s land when Abbosbek Fayzullaev, the 20-year-old who plies his trade for CSKA Moscow, nodded the ball in. Both Sandesh Jhingan, India’s premier defender, and Gurpreet, were caught out, and it was almost embarrassing that it was one of the smallest men on the pitch that applied the finishing touch.
Needing at least a draw to keep their tournament hopes alive, India pushed forward, with the defenders playing a high line. In the 18th minute, Rahul Bheke coughed up possession, the Uzbeks surged forward, and the ball found its way to Igor Sergeev right in front of the goal. He wasn’t going to miss.
Naorem Mahesh Singh tested Yusupov with a sweetly struck long ranger as the first half wound down, and there were other half-chances too, but it was the Uzbeks that broke away with their full-back tapping in after his own shot had come back off the post.
Rahul KP’s introduction in the second half in place of the largely ineffectual Manvir Singh added some pace and verve to India’s attacks. He was desperately unfortunate to strike the post with a shot from the right of the box. Sunil Chhetri had two bites at putting the subsequent ricochets away. Bheke too almost redeemed himself with a superb glancing header that was brilliantly saved, but this was a night when the ball would not go in. In truth, the Uzbeks were good value for the three points. India, with a goal difference of -5 are unlikely to have anything more than pride to play for against Syria on January 23.