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 India’s strategy on the night, released Chhangte, whose clipped and curling delivery into the box evaded a couple of defender. Manvir, who had made ground quickly made no mistake with a beautifully controlled first-time finish.
With Qatar the favourites to top the group – they thumped Afghanistan 8-1 in their opening game – the hunger from both sides was apparent from the beginning. But neither team had the composure on the ball or the precision in transition to trouble their opponents. In the first quarter, India kept Kuwait under pressure, with Manvir attempting a shot from outside the box in the eighth minute. That effort lacked the power to trouble Abdulrahman Kameel in the Kuwait goal. Chhetri then came close to opening the scoring in the 19th minute, but his shot from Nikhil Poojary’s right-wing cross sailed over the crossbar.
Stimac observed nearly 20 minutes of stalemate in the second half before deploying one of his trump cards from the bench. Chhangte needed just over 10 minutes to make an impact, and his pace and trickery continued to be a good outlet for India as Kuwait pressed forward in search of an equaliser. India always looked dangerous on the counter, breaking at pace, while Kuwait barely launched an attack worth the name in the closing stages.
To make matters worse for them, Faisal Al-Harbi was shown a second yellow card and dismissed in added-on time, after a high-footed challenge on Chhangte. By securing the three points against Kuwait in front of a big crowd, India’s Blue Tigers also checked several boxes ahead of the crucial tie against the formidable Qatar. Rahul Bheke, stepping in for the absent Anwar Ali, connected seamlessly with Sandesh Jhingan at the heart of the defence, and played a pivotal role in maintaining a clean sheet.
In the midfield, the absence of Jeakson Singh and Anirudh Thapa was not felt. Thapa only came on as a late substitute, and the onus was on Suresh Wangjam and Apuia in the midfield. Both performed commendably.
The story of the night, however, was Manvir. After inconsistent displays with the national team, his impressive performances in the current ISL season and this stunning goal give Stimac one more viable options up front.
The team will travel back to India in the early hours of Friday, and the focus then shifts to the crucial home fixture against Qatar in Bhubaneshwar on November 21. There will doubtless be a capacity crowd to cheer on Chhetri and his team. And while Qatar are unlikely to be as sloppy as Kuwait were, India football is finally looking ahead with genuine hope rather than trepidation.