Bereft of ideas, a lacklustre India’s woes were compounded by their defensive lapses, resulting in a 3-0 drubbing by a dominant Uzbekistan in the AFC Asian Cup at Doha on January 18. This was India’s second successive defeat in Group B, having started their campaign with a 0-2 loss to title contenders Australia. In their opener, India’s spirited performance earned them plaudits. However, against the central Asian nation, India’s performance was a far cry from their display against the Socceroos.
Uzbekistan scored through Abbosbek Fayzullaev (4th minute), Igor Sergeev (18th) and Nasrullaev (45th+3rd) to register their first win in the competition after being held to a stalemate by Syria in their tournament opener. Hoping to start on a positive note barely days after their promising show against Australia, India, instead, found themselves on the back foot straightaway and conceded a soft goal early on.
The lightning quick Fayzullaev, placed in a favourable position, found the target with a header past the hapless Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. Ranked 102 in the world as against their 68-ranked opponents, Igor Stimac’s men found the going tough as Uzbekistan looked to rattle the Indian defence with their attacking play. In a mood to stamp their authority further, Uzbekistan again benefitted from sloppy defending from their opponents. Rahul Bheke gave the ball away at the halfway line. Akash Mishra’s clearance hit the post before returning to the field of play, and Sergeev did the rest to put his side 2-0 ahead.