India edge past Afghanistan
Three-time champions India made a winning start in the Sixth SAFF Championship with a last-gasp goal over Afghanistan in Group A at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.
Substitute Je Je Lalphekhula struck the all-important goal five minutes from time in a dull and insipid match after a spirited Nepal held holders Maldives to a 1-1 draw in the day's first fixture at the same venue.
The goal apart, India, who sent their second string side in a bid to give the senior team more time to prepare for the 2010 Asia Cup, could hardly impress some 2,000 spectators. The young team was at the receiving end most of the time against the misfiring Afghans.
Afghanistan were certainly the better side but they paid the penalty for missing some good opportunities. Still, they could have won a point had not their goalkeeper Hamidullah Yosufzai despite covering the near post conceded a goal that he should have stopped.
"Afghanistan played well and came close to scoring twice and we were lucky to snatch full three points," said a relieved Indian coach Sukhwinder Singh at the post-match briefing.
But Singh knows that his boys must up their game with tough battles against defending champions Maldives and an improved Nepal ahead.
Meanwhile, hosts Bangladesh, fresh after their 4-1 demolition of Bhutan will get back to business against Pakistan in one of the two games to be played today. A victory will confirm Bangladesh a place in the semifinals with a match in hand against Sri Lanka, who take on Buhtan in the first match at 4pm.
Back in the slow and at time erratic match between India and Afghanistan, it was predictably mundane in the absence of few exciting names like Baichung Bhutia, Sunil Chetri and Rahim Nabi.
India opted to attack through the flanks with Joaquin Santan Abranches and Jibon Singh, but their efforts got blunted against the tall and stiff Afghan wall.
India made one change in each half to sharpen their attack and it finally brought result for them but not before surviving two close calls from Afghan forwards.
Substitute Ahmed Khesraw Ahmadi had Indian goalkeeper Arindam Bhattachariya in a one to one situation but wasted the golden chance with a hurriedly taken side-volley that missed the mark nine minutes into the second half.
In the next moments, Afghanistan almost took a lead when Sayed Bashir Azimi whipped in a well-judged cross from the right for Hashmattullah Barkezai, whose powerful header narrowly missed the mark.
Lalphekhula, who came in for Balwant Singh after 70 minutes, broke the evening's duck with a grounder from the right hand side of the box.
The late goal broke the Afghan hearts.
"It was painful to concede a late goal. It was very frustrating to lose a match we should have won", said a dejected Afghan coach Yosuf Kargar,
TEAMS
INDIA: Arindam Bhattachrja, Rowilson Rolando Rodrigue, Baldeep Singh, Jagpreet Singh (Manish Mathani), Balwant Singh (Je Je Lalphekhula), SK Singh Chongtham, Joaquin Santan Abranches, Jibon Singh Khangembam, Dharmaraj Ravanan, Rebert Lalthlamuana and Denzil Michael Franco.
AFGHANISTAN: Zohib Islam, Ali Ahmed Yarzada, Masod Hashemi, Israfeel Kohistani, Sayed Bashir Azimi, Hashmuttullah Barkezal, Mustafa Hadid (Ahmad Khesraw Ahmadi), Saboor Khalili, Zakria Rezai (Faisal Sakhizada), Ali Azara and Hamidullah Yosufzai.
Yellow cards: Joa Quim Santan Abranches (India), Faisal Sakhizada (Afghanistan).
Referee: Hla Tint (Myanmar).
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