The semifinal of the King's Cup witnessed a dramatic showdown between India and high-ranked Iraq, where India's football team coach, Igor Stimac, didn't shy away from expressing his displeasure over the referee's decision that potentially cost his side a historic win.
Despite playing without their ace player, Sunil Chhetri, Team India was on the brink of a momentous victory over Iraq. However, a contentious penalty in the 79th minute of the game turned the tables. Iraq's Aymen Ghadhban capitalized on this penalty, tying the game 2-2 and pushing it into a penalty shootout.
Voicing his disappointment on social media after the match, Stimac hailed his team's performance and displayed confidence that in the future, even biased referee decisions wouldn't hinder India's triumphs.
"Our boys left everything on that pitch tonight and I am immensely proud of them! Someone decided to rob them from winning tonight but the time will come sooner than many expect that even referees will not be able to stop my boys winning such games!" Stimac said in a tweet.
As the dust settles, India is now geared up to face Lebanon in the contest for the bronze medal. Following that, football enthusiasts will be treated to the King's Cup grand finale between Iraq and the hosting nation, Thailand.
It's worth highlighting that Iraq's contentious penalty arose from a situation where Sandesh Jhinghan was believed to have fouled Ghadhban. While the penalty didn't seem evident to many, Ghadhban took charge and scored the levelling goal.
In the ensuing shootout, India's Brandon Fernandes's missed kick proved costly as Iraq clinched the contest 5-4, advancing to the final against Thailand.
This defeat snaps India's commendable 12-match unbeaten run and serves as their first setback of the year. Ranked 99th in the FIFA rankings, as opposed to Iraq's 70th position, India has previously secured two third-place finishes in the King's Cup, with the latest in 2019.
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(With PTI inputs, powered by AI)
