logo
Football: India lose 0-2 to Thailand in friendly

Football: India lose 0-2 to Thailand in friendly

Hindustan Times5 days ago

Kolkata: The hope is that even if they cannot be as clinical as Thailand, India will do better in the front third against Hong Kong in the Asian Cup qualifying game next week. And will not be overrun in midfield like they were till around the 30-minute mark against Thailand at Thammasat Stadium in Pathum Thani, around 50km from Bangkok, on Wednesday.
Should that happen, this 0-2 defeat in the FIFA International Friendly, India's first since the underwhelming 0-0 draw against Bangladesh, will be the kind of outing that helps shake off rust. For, against a team most of whose players were on club duty till Saturday, rusty India looked.
There was hesitation in the back where, due to injury and suspension, Sandesh Jhingan and Anwar Ali were teaming up for the first time since the 2024 Asian Cup. India were tentative in all areas of the pitch to start with and rare is it that a top-100 team will not punish that.
Benjamin Davies did in the eighth minute. Easily the most skilful player on the pitch, the 24-year-old forward ran in to fire Thailand ahead. Lalengmawia Ralte was down in the penalty box and Thailand could have stopped play. Maybe India thought they would. As it turned out, India failed to clear their lines and, following a neat exchange between Phitiwat Sookjitthammakul and Korawich Tasa which drew out Ali, Davies fired home.
What followed was a spell where India were overrun in the midfield but stayed in the contest through desperate clearances and Thailand not being able to find the target. Once, Davies twisted and turned past Abhishek Singh and Liston Colaco before Ali made the block.
Thailand were expertly drawing India out and activating the wide men till Abhishek became the extra player in midfield. From a Colaco free-kick, Sunil Chhetri had tested Saranon Anuin with a header but it wasn't till the 33rd minute that India could stitch together a move that pulled the seams of Thailand's defence. That was when Lalengmawia Ralte found Colaco who laid it for Ashique Kurnuniyan, who snatched at the shot.
Ashish Rai managed a teasing cross but India should have made it 1-1 before half-time. They had stopped a Thailand move and got Chhetri to find Colaco through on goal with only Anuin to beat. The goalie got big and legged out Colaco's effort.
India began the second half like they had ended the first with Kuruniyan, used a second striker, finding Chhetri, who was visibly upset that his appeal for a penalty was turned down. There were free headers that Jhingan and Ali could not keep on target from corner-kicks (India had eight, Thailand two) and a bender from Lallianzuala Chhangte that, well, didn't bend enough. Suhail Bhatt also broke through once but could not sort out his feet.
Both teams had three shots on target but India had attempted 19, Thailand seven. Poramet Arjvilai made it 2-0 with a superb curler from range after Davies had found him. The move stemmed from a poor pass from Manvir Singh when India were on the attack. He was not the only one guilty of that. India then needed interceptions from Rai and Ali and a reflex save from Vishal Kaith to prevent a rout. 'The biggest lesson from this game is that we need to take our chances,' said skipper Jhingan.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Allahabad HC grants relief to journalist booked for reporting on mosque demolition in UP
Allahabad HC grants relief to journalist booked for reporting on mosque demolition in UP

Scroll.in

timea day ago

  • Scroll.in

Allahabad HC grants relief to journalist booked for reporting on mosque demolition in UP

The Allahabad High Court has set aside two orders in a case against Mohammad Seraj Ali, a BBC journalist named in a first information report for reporting on the demolition of a mosque in Uttar Pradesh's Barabanki district, Live Law reported. The orders had denied him a No Objection Certificate for the renewal or re-issuance of his passport, which was quashed by the High Court. Ali, along with another journalist named Mukul Chauhan, had published a video report in June 2021 about the mosque in Barabanki while working for The Wire. The district administration demolished the mosque in Ram Sanehi Ghat in May 2021, claiming that it was an illegal structure, PTI reported. An FIR was subsequently lodged against several persons, including Ali, under Indian Penal Code provisions pertaining to wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot, promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion, race, place of birth, etc., punishment for criminal conspiracy and printing or engraving defamatory matter. In September 2021, Ali joined the BBC. A year later, a chargesheet was registered against him and a trial court took cognisance of the matter, Live Law reported. At the same time, Ali had applied for renewing his passport in September 2022 as his passport was set to expire in April 2023. However, the Regional Passport Office asked for an NOC from the trial court in Barabanki in light of the criminal case against him, according to Live Law. Ali moved the trial court for the required document but his application was rejected. The journalist then approached the Allahabad High Court. In an order on Thursday, Justice Abdul Moin of the Allahabad High Court said that the rejection of Seraj's request for an NOC to issue his passport reflected a clear non-application of mind by the trial court, Bar and Bench reported. Quashing the orders of the trial court, the High Court said that Seraj may file a fresh application for the renewal or re-issuance of his passport before the Regional Passport Officer within 20 days. 'Upon receipt of the same, the passport authority must decide the application within one month, post verification and due formalities, based on the certified copy of this order,' the order added. It also said that Ali must seek prior permission before travelling abroad, adding that he must also adhere to the schedule and conditions imposed by the trial court. During the proceedings in the High Court, the counsel representing Ali said that the NOC was wrongly denied because the trial court ignored key government guidelines from two office memorandums, Bar and Bench reported. The two memorandums outline how NOCs should be handled even in cases with pending criminal matters.

India not looking to rest on past laurels against Hong Kong, says Sandesh Jhingan
India not looking to rest on past laurels against Hong Kong, says Sandesh Jhingan

Hans India

time2 days ago

  • Hans India

India not looking to rest on past laurels against Hong Kong, says Sandesh Jhingan

Kowloon (HK-China): As the Asian Cup qualifier against Hong Kong, China, gets closer, many on the Indian side of the continental football spectrum will be recalling the last match played between the two sides – a roaring 4-0 victory for the Blue Tigers in Kolkata, three years ago. For the Indian senior men's national team, however, that is ancient history. While the last meeting between India and Hong Kong-China was a resounding win for the former, things have changed since then. 'In football, you can never rest on the laurels of the past. I remember we played them (in 2022) and we won 4-0, but that's a thing of the past now,' said Jhingan, about the much-changed Hong Kong side now. 'We know how good a side they are, and how important this game is, and that's that.' The Indian senior men's team, ahead of Matchday 2 of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers, held their first training session in Hong Kong on Friday evening at the Jockey Club HKFA Football Training Centre in Tseung Kwan O. The Blue Tigers will train at the Siu Sai Wan Sports Ground on Saturday and Sunday, followed by an official training session at the newly constructed Kai Tak Stadium on matchday minus one (Monday). The Asian Cup qualifier on June 10 will be the first competitive football match at the 50,000-capacity venue. Still looking to recapture their form, the Blue Tigers have kept their heads up and are focusing on what needs to be done to turn their fortunes around, after a 0-2 loss against Thailand in a preparatory international friendly last week. Sandesh Jhingan, who had captained the side against Thailand on June 4, is focused on getting the best result against Hong Kong. 'When we arrived (in Hong Kong) just after the Thailand game, the focus for the team was on recovery. However, the main focus since we assembled for the camp in Kolkata (on May 18), has always been to get the maximum points against Hong Kong,' said Jhingan. 'It's all about preparing ourselves in the training sessions leading up to the game, so we can arrive at the match in the best way possible, both physically and mentally, and try to get maximum points,' he added. While the loss against Thailand was a bitter pill to swallow for the Blue Tigers, it did afford them insight into the areas that need to be improved upon. 'We need to be more decisive and clinical inside the boxes at both ends. First and foremost, we need to be more solid at the back. If the defence is good, we will have more chances going forward. And the other part, of course, is that we need to be more clinical in attack. 'There were both positives and negatives from that game, and we will analyse and build on them," he added.

Assam police ban procession, rallies in Guwahati city
Assam police ban procession, rallies in Guwahati city

United News of India

time2 days ago

  • United News of India

Assam police ban procession, rallies in Guwahati city

Guwahati, June 7 (UNI) There would be no more rallies, marathon or walkathon in Assam capital town Guwahati. The city police commissionerate through an order has prohibited holding and organizing rallies and procession in Guwahati in order to ensure smooth traffic flow in the city. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Administration) Guwahati Imdad Ali in an order issued stated: "To ensure smooth traffic flow in Guwahati, it is essential to manage road usage efficiently. Processions/ rallies often leads to significant traffic congestion, affecting the free movement of vehicles and causing inconvenience to commuters and other citizens." Such events, Ali made it clear, create challenges for citizens and lead to crowding and congestion. They may also delay emergency services, thereby impacting public safety." "The order said to minimise inconvenience and prevent anticipated traffic congestion all types of procession, rally, run, marathon and walkathon within Guwahati city shall be restricted," said the order. "The order has been issued under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Samhita, 2023 and comes into affect immediately," he said, adding that violation of this order shall be punishable under Section 223 of BNS. UNI ANP PRS

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store