Thankfully for India coach Igor Stimac — who had to watch the game in the stands after receiving a red card in India’s last match, a 4-0 win over Pakistan — skipper Sunil Chhetri continued his sparkling form, scoring in the 61st minute to break the deadlock before Mahesh Naroem doubled the score in the 70th minute to send India through to the semifinal of the tournament.
Bangalore 💙 #IndianFootball #SAFFChampionship2023 🏆 #NEPIND ⚔️ #IndianFootball ⚽️ #BlueTigers 🐯 pic.twitter.com/qCMrttCSGh
— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) June 24, 2023
Chhetri, who scored a hat-trick against Pakistan, extended his record India goal tally to 91.
It was clear that India’s strategy was one of all-out attack, with Sahal Abdul Samad being the driving force in midfield. But it was Nepal who seemed to settle down quickly. After thwarting two attempts from Sahal, the visitors could’ve easily gone ahead in the 17th minute.
Laken Limbu delivered a wonderful curling ball from a corner that Mehtab Singh headed away, but it fell to Nepal midfielder Arik Bista just outside the box. Bista connected superbly, drilling a low shot well on target. It took the quick reflexes of the towering Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, who dived low to his left to block it. It was the best chance of the half and probably Nepal’s best chance of the game.
Attack on the left
While India failed to score in the first half, they showed plenty of promise with their link-up play on the left wing. Left-back Akash Mishra, who just signed with Mumbai City FC earlier this week, linked up superbly with Mahesh and Sahal to create a constant threat on that wing.
In fact, it was the link-up between the trio that resulted in India’s opening goal. Akash managed to cull out a pass to Mahesh waiting on the left flank. Mahesh played a quick one-two with Sahal and then rolled a fabulous through ball for Chhetri, who managed to zip past his marker and put the ball into the back of the net.
Stepped up and got the job done 💪🏽👏🏽
Mahesh Gawli led the #BlueTigers 🐯 to a comfortable victory as the coach on the touch-line 💙🙌🏽#SAFFChampionship2023 🏆 #NEPIND ⚔️ #IndianFootball ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/0XVhEnsYav
— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) June 24, 2023
If India attacked from the left flank before scoring, it changed to the right flank with Lallianzuala Chhangte coming on in the 63rd minute. The diminutive striker, who has been a force to reckon with, looked threatening whenever he had the ball at his feet.
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23-year-old Mahesh capped his fabulous night, by scoring his first goal in India colours. After getting possession in the centre of the pitch, Sahal released it to Chhetri on the right. The India veteran went past a defender, entered the box, and took his time before unleashing a powerful shot that ricocheted off the Nepal goalkeeper onto the crossbar. Mahesh was first to meet the rebound, heading it into the back of the net to secure the victory for India.
Changes in line-up
Change seems to be the only constant for Stimac, as the coach has yet to settle on his preferred playing XI. In the Intercontinental Cup, which India played and won earlier this month, he made nine changes after the opener against Mongolia and an additional 10 changes for the league match against Lebanon. So it was no surprise as he decided to retain just three players for the match against minnows Nepal.
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However, it’s imperative that Stimac zeroes in on his starting XI and allows them to play together ahead of the King’s Cup in September and the all-important FIFA World Cup qualifiers that will follow. The team needs to be completely set ahead of the extremely tricky AFC Asian Cup in January where India is drawn alongside Asian giants Australia, Uzbekistan, and Syria.
