Latest news with #SandeshJhingan
Hans India
a day ago
- Sport
- 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.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Relief for India as eight players get Hong Kong visas after 15-day wait
Liston Colaco tries to work his way past Thailand during an international friendly at the Thammasat Stadium in Pathum Thani on Wednesday Panaji: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) heaved a sigh of relief as eight national team players were granted visas to travel to Hong Kong, after waiting for more than two weeks. India play Hong Kong in a crucial AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifier on June 10. Indian passport holders can travel to Hong Kong visa-free for up to 14 days but a pre-arrival registration form must be filled online before landing in the country. According to sources, the AIFF applied online for the pre-arrival registration on May 18 with a majority of the 28 players and 14 officials getting their applications cleared in quick time. On May 28, the team was scheduled to travel to Thailand for an international friendly, and they did with eight players, including captain Sandesh Jhingan, unsure about making the onward trip to Hong Kong. 'The applications kept coming back for eight players and we didn't know what to do,' said a senior AIFF official. 'We wrote to the ministry of external affairs and then the President (Kalyan Chaubey) had to speak with the concerned ministries to ensure that all players got the visas.' The visas for the eight players which included Jhingan, Amrinder Singh, Subhashish Bose, Manvir Singh, Ashish Rai, Anwar Ali, Gurmeet Singh and Mehtab Singh were finally issued on Tuesday, 15 days after their first application. Thailand cruise past India India were left with plenty of work to do for next week's all-important qualifier against Hong Kong after losing the friendly 2-0 against Thailand at the Thammasat Stadium in Pathum Thani on Wednesday. Benjamin Davis (8') and Poramet Arjvilai (59') scored in either half for Thailand as the hosts capitalised on the space and time that was afforded to them by India's defence. Davis, who featured for ASEAN All-Stars against Manchester United in a friendly last week, picked the top corner from inside the box, while Arjvilai saw goalkeeper Vishal Kaith slightly off his line and made no mistake with a shot that dipped perfectly. India gradually grew into the game and created chances of their own. Sunil Chhetri sliced through the Thailand defence with a perfect ball for Liston Colaco in first-half stoppage time, but the forward could not get past the goalkeeper from a one-to-one position. All through the game, Indian players got themselves into decent positions but lacked the finishing touch with Liston, Chhetri, Ashique Kuruniyan and Lallianzuala Chhangte all going close from inside the box. India now travel to Hong Kong on Thursday for their crucial AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 final round qualifier on June 10.
NDTV
4 days ago
- General
- NDTV
India vs Thailand Football LIVE Streaming, International Friendly Live Telecast: When And Where To Watch
India vs Thailand LIVE Streaming, International Friendly: The Indian football team take on Thailand in a crucial friendly on Wednesday. It is India's final game ahead of the all-important AFC Asian Cup Qualifier against Hong Kong on June 10. The Indian attack will be led by Sunil Chhetri, while Sandesh Jhingan is the team captain. India enter the match in decent form, having been unbeaten in their last four international matches. All eyes will also be on forwards Lallianzuala Chhangte and Liston Colaco, who could be X-factors in the match. India vs Thailand LIVE Streaming, Football Friendly LIVE Telecast: Check Where and How to Watch When will the India vs Thailand, football friendly match take place? The India vs Thailand, football friendly match will take place on Wednesday, June 4 (IST). Where will the India vs Thailand, football friendly match be held? The India vs Thailand, football friendly match will be held at the Thammasat Stadium, Thailand. What time will the India vs Thailand, football friendly match start? The India vs Thailand, football friendly match will start at 6 PM IST. Which TV channels will show the live telecast of the India vs Thailand, football friendly match? The India vs Thailand, football friendly match will not be televised live in India. Where to follow the live streaming of the India vs Thailand, football friendly match? The India vs Thailand, football friendly match will be live streamed on the FanCode app and website.
The Hindu
23-05-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
We need to do well in all departments, says Sandesh Jhingan
A collective team effort can only bring back the winning rhythm and end Indian football's barren run in the continental stage, according to the national men's team central defender, Sandesh Jhingan. With India preparing for its second group league match of the AFC Asian Cup qualifier (final round) against Hong Kong on June 10 at the AIFF centre of excellence here, Jhingan said the team needs to find the right coordination between departments to regain its successful form. 'We are facing certain things which led to a dip in form. We (the players) feel worse, and so do our families. Sometimes we let the country down, but there are times when we came up with great performances. That's the life of a footballer. You have to keep trying to do better and focus on the future,' Jhingan said. India remained winless all through 2024 (in six matches) before finding its first success on March 19 this year against Maldives in an international friendly to end a winless streak of 489 days. The crisis returned as India played a goalless draw while hosting Bangladesh in the first match of the Asian Cup qualifier (on March 25) and lost the opportunity of picking up full points. Needing a win against Hong Kong to brighten its chances, India will have to regain its scoring efficiency, which Jhingan said will happen if everyone in the team does his job properly. 'The reason we are not scoring is that we at the back are not putting up the ball to the midfield. And the midfield is not putting good balls in the box, and that's why we're not scoring. To point out a single aspect is very unfair as it is a collective effort in the end,' he said.
News18
22-05-2025
- Sport
- News18
Sandesh Jhingan On Owning Up To Mistakes, Team's Collective Job Of Scoring And Keeping Clean Sheets
The Indian men's football team star defender Sandesh Jhingan was one of the first to put up his hand and take responsibility after their goalless draw against Bangladesh in their opening Group C AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifier third round match in Shillong back in March. In a social media post on Instagram, the 31-year-old owned up to take the 'blame', 'criticism', 'frustration', 'anger' and 'disappointment' of the fans, before adding the team's resolve to come back stronger.
