India will take inspiration from their historic goalless draw with Asian champions Qatar four years ago when they face the same opponents in a 2026 FIFA World Cup second-round qualifier match at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on November 21.
They will have gained confidence after the 1-0 away win against Kuwait on November 16. India will now hope to put up a strong fight against Qatar, although the well-liked visiting team will be the clear favourites from the outset.
India shocked the football fraternity by holding Qatar 0-0 on September 10, 2019, during their 2022 World Cup second-round qualifiers in Doha and soaked up waves of attacks. Qatar were then in red-hot form after winning the Asia Cup early in 2019.
The legendary captain of India Sunil Chhetri was ruled out of that game due to illness, but he will be eager to show his class at the Kalinga Stadium on November 21. The hosts should have a lot fewer scoring opportunities than the visitors.
Goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu had captained the team that night in Doha in front of a biased crowd. He will have to perform best again on November 21 to stop the raiding Qataris as he had done four years ago.
Qatar, ranked 61 in the world, are coming off an 8-1 thumping of Afghanistan in their previous match in Doha on November 16. Star striker Almoez Ali struck four times against Afghanistan the other day. He was the top-scorer for Qatar at the 2019 Asian Cup with nine goals. He can create a threat to the Indian defence, which appeared weak without Anwar Ali.
They will be trying to break the record of the drawn game in 2019 straight by crushing 102nd-ranked India.
Sandhu would recall that he and India were lucky in Doha in 2019 when Ali was turned away by the upright. The Indian custodian will have to organise the defence along with maestro Sandesh Jhinghan.
Despite India’s win, head coach Igor Stimac's plans were baffled because he was unable to use the services of both Ali and defensive midfielder Jeakson Singh in the Kuwait match due to injuries.
Ali sustained an ankle injury in Mohun Bagan Super Giant's AFC Cup match against Bangladesh's Bashundhara Kings in October. Kerala Blasters' Jeakson sustained a shoulder injury during an Indian Super League (ISL) game against Mumbai City FC. He had successful surgery earlier in November.
Manvir Singh, who scored India’s lone goal against Kuwait, and midfield mainstay Sahal Abdul Samad, were both in Doha four years ago. They would look to make life difficult for the Qataris, especially following their strong performance in Kuwait City.
India are placed in Group A along with Afghanistan, Qatar, and Kuwait. The top two teams in the group advance to the third round of FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The same teams will also qualify for the AFC Asian Cup in 2027.
The Blue Tigers have never made it to the third round of the AFC's FIFA World Cup qualifiers. But after their 1-0 win over Kuwait, they have a good chance of doing so.
(Inputs by PTI)
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