India gritty in defence but lose to Oz

So stout was India’s resistance for 50 minutes that Australia needed a slice of luck to get their first goal. Jackson Irvine scored after a clanger from Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. Shipping such a goal could have deflated India but they kept denying vastly superior opponents through a combination of disciplined defending and grit. That continued even after Jordan Bos’ strike from a slick move that showed why Australia have said they are in Qatar to win the Asian Cup.

- Dhiman Sarkar

Embrace the challenge, Igor Stimac had said prior to the game. Stimac was a no-frills defender unafraid to look illustrious opponents in the eye, his attitude symptomatic of Croatia’s when they took the 1998 World Cup by storm. Going into five years as India head coach, Stimac has moulded a bunch of bravehearts who try to bridge the obvious gap in skill with an abundance of spirit. In 2019, India had done that once in Doha against Asian champions Qatar. Sandhu had led from the back in that game. He looked assured at Doha’s Ahmad bin Ali Stadium on Friday as well, bravely leaving his line to collect and bossing his 18-yard box. On either side of two bloopers, that is. The first situation, in the 21st minute, Sandhu salvaged by getting back to deny Connor Metcalfe after slipping while trying to break Australia’s press. The second put Australia ahead.

Martin Boyle, always a threat on the right, floated a speculative cross which, under no pressure, Sandhu could have grabbed using both hands. Instead, he flapped at it and the ball fell kindly for Irvine. Australia could have scored through Boyle after he had ghosted in or when he had volleyed over and it wouldn’t have felt like such an anti-climax when they finally did.