In another early exit, Sunil Chhetri-led India were knocked out of the AFC Asian Cup after a 0-1 loss to Syria. India suffered their consecutive defeat and bowed out of the tournament without scoring a single goal.
This was the fourth time India got knocked out of the AFC Asian Cup from the group stage. In 1964, they finished as runners-up. In 1984, 2011, and 2019, India could not make it past the group stage.
Syria ended their drought of a win in the tournament. This was their first win in seven years.
Syria were on the attack for most of the clash. In the 76th minute, they succeeded. Ibrahim Hesar got the ball on the left side of the box before he squared it for substitute Omar Khribin. The centre-forward went past Rahul Bheke and beat Gurpreet Singh Sandhu with a low shot to his right.
Throughout the match against Syria, India struggled to assert control, and the initial minutes saw some promising runs from Mahesh Naorem and Lallianzuala Chhangte. However, these efforts did not translate into clear scoring opportunities. As the match progressed, the Syrian team dominated and had numerous goal-scoring chances.
Sandhu, displayed commendable saves, including stopping a header from Pablo Sabbag and denying Ezequiel Ham's attempt brilliantly. The Indian team faced significant pressure from the Syrian side, who appealed for a Video Referee Assistant decision during a contentious moment in the box.
In the second half, India encountered a setback as defensive stalwart Sandesh Jhingan suffered an injury and was substituted by Nikhil Poojary. Despite their defensive efforts and substitutions, India couldn't prevent Syria from breaking the deadlock with Khribin beating Bheke and Sandhu.
With this result, Syria remained in contention for a knockout round berth.
Before losing to Syria, India lost 0-2 to Australia in their opening game. A few days later, they faced a 0-3 defeat at the hands of Uzbekistan. While Chhetri's legacy remains intact, India will need to reflect on their performance and make improvements for future tournaments.
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