Bahrain had the upper hand but the Blue Tigers put up a good fight before going down courtesy of a late goal by Mahdi Al-Humaidan after Rahuel Beheke had canceled out Mohammed Al-Hardan’s opener.
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The Indian men’s football team suffered a disappointing 2-1 loss to Bahrain at the Muharraq Stadium Wednesday. This was India’s first international match of 2022 and it was organised as preparation for the upcoming AFC Asian Cup qualifiers in June. As expected, the hosts had the upper hand but the Blue Tigers put up a good fight before going down courtesy of a late goal by Mahdi Al-Humaidan after Rahuel Beheke had canceled out Mohammed Al-Hardan’s opener. Igor Stimac’s side had lost to a superior side and there were certain positive aspects India can take into the next match against Belarus on Sunday.
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FULL TIME! That’s the end of the first of the 2 Friendlies in Bahrain, and it’s a narrow defeat for the #BlueTigers ?
Chin up lads. We’ll be back for the next game! ?
?? 2-1 ??#BHRIND ⚔️ #BackTheBlue ? #BlueTigers ? #IndianFootball ⚽ pic.twitter.com/wRHXDy3Zrj
— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) March 23, 2022
The Bengaluru FC custodian showcased his excellent overall goalkeeping abilities in the match. His shot-stopping was at point as he made a number of saves to keep India in the game for a large part. He was also very good with his ball distribution, especially ball-throwing ability which allowed India to create a few breakaway moves.
The 30-year-old was called into action inside the opening seven minutes when Sandesh Jhingan handled the ball inside the box while trying to block a shot and the referee pointed to the penalty spot. Sandhu made a brilliant low diving save to his left to keep the score goalless.
“It is an important result for us. We lost but we had a lot to learn. To get the opportunity to lead India is a very important moment for any player. For me, it was important to keep the boys alive, keep them pushing and not giving up till the end of the game. We need to keep our head high and keep on going for the next game,” said Sandhu in a post match interview.
After going into the break trailing through Al-Hardan’s 37th-minute volley, India came out with a bit more in the second half and scored the equaliser through Bheke in the 59th minute. The Blue Tigers created multiple chances before leveling the score from a well-worker corner-kick. Bheke broke away from his marker before timing his jump perfectly and heading home into the net from substitute Roshan Singh’s assist.
Stimac was quick to introduce Roshan Singhan in place of Liston Colaco in the second half and the debutant changed the tide of the game. The 23-year-old Bengaluru FC full-back was deployed as a left-midfielder and immediately after coming on, he got on the end of Manvir Singh’s cross from the right but volleyed wide.
Roshan was the top Indian assist provider in the just concluded Indian Super League with seven assists to his name and he is the first-choice set-piece taker for his club BFC. The bi-footed player delivered a perfect in-swinging cross from the right for Bheke to head home. He was a constant threat throughout his time on the pitch and was a crucial part of India’s comeback
