Indian football is alive. Indian football is kicking.
So what if India lost to Oman 2-1? It was touch and go. India were brilliant one moment, though insipid the next. Two moments of madness conceded two stupid goals. But a Sunil Chhetri stunner inspired the Blues to dream.
At the heart of it all was an controversial call which is surely going to be debated into the late hours of many nights. Did Robin Singh have a touch in CK Vineeth’s drilled shot into the goal? Was it actually offside? Replays were inconclusive, as they somehow always are, especially when they’re needed the most.
But no matter. The 19,000-strong crowd at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru got their money’s worth. It was an amazing game of football. Despite the loss, the Indian team can hold their head high. There’s definite promise in this young squad.
The expectations were unprecedented, and unrealistic. An international football match featuring India had got social media buzzing like never before. #BackTheBlues was trending on Twitter, well before the game had started.
Chhetri’s strike puts India back on equal terms after disastrous start
But when the tie did kick off, it seemed like a rerun of old times. Twenty seconds into the game, Oman had scored. India’s defenders didn't seem to have switched on yet. Nor had Subrata Paul, India’s star goalkeeper, who uncharacteristically let the ball in through his legs. Oman were up 1-0, even before the crowd had settled in properly.
For a while, India were in a shambles. Late-ditch tackles, giving away possession – they seemed unsettled and somewhat over-excited. But soon this youthful squad picked by Stephen Constantine settled down. Oman looked the superior side, but India weren’t wilting.
There’s a reason Sunil Chhetri is the hottest commodity in Indian football currently. And his was a special goal – the type of goal which’d be jaw-dropping even if it came in a Barcelona–Real Madrid derby. From just outside the penalty box, Chhetri blasted in a curling, left-footed shot. Oman’s goalkeeper, Ali Al-Habsi might have played in the English Premier League, but even he had no chance against that. The ball evaded his stretched fingertips by inches and curled just about enough to squeeze into the left corner. It was 1-1. India were on equal terms again and had clawed their way back into the game.
A moment of madness costs India the match
A pumped up Indian team had got the break they needed. Constantine might have even started dreaming about a winner. But India’s defenders had been a little too reckless through the night and it came back to haunt them. Dhanachandra Singh clattered in with a needless tackle against an Oman striker. The referee was right there and immediately pointed to the spot. Amad Al Hosni coolly slotted in for Oman to score what would eventually prove to be the decisive goal.
The rest of the match was scrappy. India continued to press hard but Oman held firm, soaking up the attacks and attacking on the counter. There were times when India’s defenders were caught out of position but Arnab Mondal, the Indian captain, made several last-minute clearances to save the day.
A controversial call
The contentious offside call came around the 77th minute. CK Vineeth, a winger for Bengaluru FC, stepped up to take a free kick and expertly guided it into the goal at the far post. Constantine pumped his fists, the Indian players started celebrating. Unbeknownst to them all, the linesman’s flag had shot up. Robin Singh, who was supposed to have had the last touch on the ball, had been deemed offside.
But was he really offside? Replays proved inconclusive about whether Robin Singh had actually touched the ball or not. The commentators sounded notably aggrieved – to the extent of saying that it was a "clear goal". However, it has to be kept in the mind that the official rule regarding offside does not mention the offending player having to touch the ball, it just mentions interfering with play. Going by that interpretation, Robin Singh was definitely offside and the correct decision was made.
India continued to press hard but just couldn’t find an opening, despite Chhetri having a late penalty shout turned down. Though the game finished 2-1, the response from the Bengaluru crowd was heartwarming. They stayed on to give a massive round of applause to the team, in particular Chhetri who had had a special game.
Despite the loss, this was an excellent, plucky performance from the Blues against a team ranked almost 40 places ahead of them. If morning is the light that shows the day, we’re living in exciting times for Indian football.
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So what if India lost to Oman 2-1? It was touch and go. India were brilliant one moment, though insipid the next. Two moments of madness conceded two stupid goals. But a Sunil Chhetri stunner inspired the Blues to dream.
At the heart of it all was an controversial call which is surely going to be debated into the late hours of many nights. Did Robin Singh have a touch in CK Vineeth’s drilled shot into the goal? Was it actually offside? Replays were inconclusive, as they somehow always are, especially when they’re needed the most.
But no matter. The 19,000-strong crowd at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru got their money’s worth. It was an amazing game of football. Despite the loss, the Indian team can hold their head high. There’s definite promise in this young squad.
The expectations were unprecedented, and unrealistic. An international football match featuring India had got social media buzzing like never before. #BackTheBlues was trending on Twitter, well before the game had started.
Chhetri’s strike puts India back on equal terms after disastrous start
But when the tie did kick off, it seemed like a rerun of old times. Twenty seconds into the game, Oman had scored. India’s defenders didn't seem to have switched on yet. Nor had Subrata Paul, India’s star goalkeeper, who uncharacteristically let the ball in through his legs. Oman were up 1-0, even before the crowd had settled in properly.
For a while, India were in a shambles. Late-ditch tackles, giving away possession – they seemed unsettled and somewhat over-excited. But soon this youthful squad picked by Stephen Constantine settled down. Oman looked the superior side, but India weren’t wilting.
There’s a reason Sunil Chhetri is the hottest commodity in Indian football currently. And his was a special goal – the type of goal which’d be jaw-dropping even if it came in a Barcelona–Real Madrid derby. From just outside the penalty box, Chhetri blasted in a curling, left-footed shot. Oman’s goalkeeper, Ali Al-Habsi might have played in the English Premier League, but even he had no chance against that. The ball evaded his stretched fingertips by inches and curled just about enough to squeeze into the left corner. It was 1-1. India were on equal terms again and had clawed their way back into the game.
A moment of madness costs India the match
A pumped up Indian team had got the break they needed. Constantine might have even started dreaming about a winner. But India’s defenders had been a little too reckless through the night and it came back to haunt them. Dhanachandra Singh clattered in with a needless tackle against an Oman striker. The referee was right there and immediately pointed to the spot. Amad Al Hosni coolly slotted in for Oman to score what would eventually prove to be the decisive goal.
The rest of the match was scrappy. India continued to press hard but Oman held firm, soaking up the attacks and attacking on the counter. There were times when India’s defenders were caught out of position but Arnab Mondal, the Indian captain, made several last-minute clearances to save the day.
A controversial call
The contentious offside call came around the 77th minute. CK Vineeth, a winger for Bengaluru FC, stepped up to take a free kick and expertly guided it into the goal at the far post. Constantine pumped his fists, the Indian players started celebrating. Unbeknownst to them all, the linesman’s flag had shot up. Robin Singh, who was supposed to have had the last touch on the ball, had been deemed offside.
But was he really offside? Replays proved inconclusive about whether Robin Singh had actually touched the ball or not. The commentators sounded notably aggrieved – to the extent of saying that it was a "clear goal". However, it has to be kept in the mind that the official rule regarding offside does not mention the offending player having to touch the ball, it just mentions interfering with play. Going by that interpretation, Robin Singh was definitely offside and the correct decision was made.
India continued to press hard but just couldn’t find an opening, despite Chhetri having a late penalty shout turned down. Though the game finished 2-1, the response from the Bengaluru crowd was heartwarming. They stayed on to give a massive round of applause to the team, in particular Chhetri who had had a special game.
Despite the loss, this was an excellent, plucky performance from the Blues against a team ranked almost 40 places ahead of them. If morning is the light that shows the day, we’re living in exciting times for Indian football.