Determined to maintain unbeaten run, says Chhetri

Indian Football team are unbeaten in all nine matches played in 2023

A draw that feels like a defeat. It may be an overused phrase after conceding a late goal, but there was no other appropriate way of describing India's 1-1 result against Kuwait on Tuesday.

Spoils were shared on paper on the night, but as a whole, India lost out on the top spot in the group by the slimmest of margins, and also their eight-match clean-sheet streak. After a frenetic 90 minutes full of crunching challenges, aggressiveness from both sides, hot heads and immense drama, the crossing line was within reach for India, until Anwar Ali's mistimed clearance looped into the net for an own goal. But Anwar did not concede the goal.

It's not Anwar, it's the country that conceded," captain Sunil Chhetri was quick to clarify. "It's an own goal. It can happen to anyone. We are professional enough not to talk about it. I hope the kid shrugs it off. We all have his back," he supported.