The Indian men's football team, under new coach Khalid Jamil, suffered its first defeat on Monday, falling 0-3 to Asian powerhouse Iran in a Group B match of the CAFA Nations Cup. The Blue Tigers were resilient in defense for a significant portion of the match before conceding three goals in the final half-hour. Despite the loss, India remains in contention for a spot in the third-place game.
India's strategy was clearly defensive from the start, with the team adopting a 4-5-1 formation. Against a team that recently broke into the FIFA Top 20, India's focus was on frustrating their opponents. The approach proved effective for a while, as the team held a near-full-strength Iran side scoreless for close to an hour. The resolute defense managed to thwart numerous Iranian attacks, including multiple penalty corners, and held the score at 0-0 heading into the halftime break.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 59th minute when Amirhossen Hosseinzadeh capitalized on a loose ball inside the box to score the opening goal. Following the goal, Jamil introduced several offensive players from the bench, including Lallianzuala Chhangte and Manvir Singh, in an attempt to change the momentum. While India showed some signs of a transition game, the clear gulf in quality could not be overcome by strategy alone.
Iran's attacking prowess shone through in the final minutes, exposing India's defensive frailties. In the 89th minute, a sequence involving substitutes Mehdi Taremi and Alireza Jahanbakhsh led to a tap-in for Ali Alipour, doubling Iran's lead. Just minutes later, in injury time, Taremi sealed the victory with a goal of his own, making the final score 3-0. The late goals were a bitter end to an otherwise solid defensive performance for India.
With one win and one loss, India is currently second in Group B with three points and a goal difference of -2. Iran, having secured its spot in the final, will now await the outcome of the other group. India's final group game is a crucial one against Afghanistan on Thursday, a team that has historically been a challenge for the Blue Tigers. The result of this upcoming match will determine if India qualifies for the third-place game.
