Late penalty makes India's road to Asian Cup difficult

Hindustan Times

10-06-2025

Kolkata: Ashley Westwood. Remember the name. For the second time in little over one year, the coach showed that he has got India's number and that too with a team significantly lower in the FIFA ranking.
In 2024, Westwood did it with Afghanistan. On Tuesday, it was with Hong Kong who won 1-0 through an injury-time penalty.
'God willing, we will be in the Asian Cup,' said India skipper Sandesh Jhingan in the flash interview after the match. Without divine intervention, a third successive finals berth could look bleak. With Singapore beating Bangladesh 2-1, India are now last in the group and along with Pakistan the only team to have not scored after two rounds.
Pereira Stefan's penalty went in grazing the inside of the upright. But putting the defeat down to a coat of paint on the framework would paper over fundamental errors in both penalty boxes that cost India at a packed Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong whose retractable roof was closed to amplify the noise and which was inaugurated with this Group C match.
Iffy against Bangladesh, Vishal Kaith blundered by leaving his line leading to the goal. Michael Udebuluzor had three India players on him but Kaith advanced and punched the opponent instead of the ball. 'Clear penalty,' said India coach Manolo Marquez at the post-match press conference. Like with Bahrain in the 2019 Asian Cup finals, it meant another late heartbreak for India, this one coming in 90+4.
Marquez left Sunil Chhetri on the bench giving Ashique Kuruniyan the No.9 role against a team that at 153 was 26 places below India. Kuruniyan brought more energy but his misses summed up the long-standing Indian problem of a lack of strikers.
Plucked from playing sevens by Stephen Constantine, Kuruniyan has speed and a good work ethic but, possibly because he has missed most of the last two seasons due to injury, lacked sharpness in front of goal. And showed the world, he cannot trust his right foot at all.
Brandon Fernandes had stolen from Leon Jones and found Liston Colaco, who carried the ball and squared to Kuruniyan. With only goalkeeper Yapp Hung Fai to beat, Kuruniyan opted to go with his left foot and shanked the 35th minute effort. 'In a match of few chances, scoring first was important,' said Marquez.
Fifteen minutes later, Kuruniyan shot out on the half-turn after India had done well to play a sequence of passes and find their target man. An injury ended his night early and Chhetri came on in the 57th minute.
Poor decisions in the front third, once by Colaco and another by Naorem Mahesh Singh, though continued to hurt India. Chhetri found Colaco with a smart pass in the 80th minute only for the Mohun Bagan wide forward to sky his attempt from close. 'The team is not winning so players are a bit nervous,' said Marquez.
Anwar Ali's crucial interventions, sliding to take the ball away from Sung Min Him was the best of a good night, Suresh Wangjam's defensive work in the midfield and once Ashish Rai taking the ball away after Kaith was beaten meant India were not really troubled by Hong Kong. Fernandes's set-piece routines, and that of Colaco, were poor but India advanced the ball better than they did against Bangladesh.
'I cannot fault the attitude or effort of the players but while we want to win, we don't know how to draw,' said Marquez. The Spaniard bypassed the question on his future but will likely leave his post this month and renew with FC Goa for another season.