India were officially eliminated from the WC2022 qualification race on Thursday night when they lost 1-0 to Asian champions Qatar. The Blue Tigers remain in contention to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup, however.
The Indian football team’s wait to qualify for the World Cup finals will go on after they were eliminated from the 2022 edition on Thursday night. The Blue Tigers lost 1-0 to Qatar, making it mathematically impossible for them to qualify for the next round. Nonetheless, Igor Stimac’s men remain in contention to qualify for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.
An early red card for defender Rahul Bheke set the tone for India’s joint FIFA World Cup and AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Qatar. He received a yellow card in the ninth minute of the match, which was upgraded to a red just eight minutes later.
With a man down, India fell immediately on the back-foot and conceded the first and only goal of the game in the 33rd minute. The Asian champions took the lead through Al-Rayyan’s Abdulaziz Hatem and comfortably held onto it until the final whistle.
Worryingly for Stimac, India barely threatened the Qatar goal. The Blue Tigers registered just the sole shot on the night, which was off target. Their share of possession stood at 25 per cent, which is explainable given the man disadvantage. However, India also allowed Qatar to take a whopping 38 shots on the night, ten of which landed on target!.
Their latest defeat means India’s win-less run in the joint qualifiers continues. The Blue Tigers have lost three and drawn two and have scored just two goals in the competition – so far. India are yet to face Afghanistan and Bangladesh for the return legs, but they can no longer mathematically qualify for the next round of the World Cup qualifiers. Nevertheless, Stimac’s men can still make it to the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. They are currently fourth in the table, two points behind Afghanistan, and are on course to qualify for the Asian qualification third or the playoff round.
