The Indian Football team suffered a disappointing 2-1 defeat at the hands of Bahrain at the Muharraq Stadium on Wednesday. This match was India’s first international game of 2022 and enabled the team to integrate some new faces into the team after a successful Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2021-22 season.

Though this match ended in a defeat, there were certain positive aspects that India can take into the next game. 

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu’s first half defiance

The 30-year-old showcased his excellent goalkeeping ability in the first half. His distribution skills, especially his ball-throwing ability, enabled India to create a few counter-attacking chances. His shot-stopping was also on point as his critical penalty save in the seventh minute of the game kept the Blue Tigers in the game.

"It is an important result for us. We lost but we had a lot to learn. To get the opportunity to lead India is a very important moment for any player. For me, it was important to keep the boys alive, keep them pushing and not giving up till the end of the game. We need to keep our head high and keep on going for the next game," said Sandhu in a post match interview.

The second-half resurgence!

After a quiet first half that saw India concede a goal in the 37th minute, the team came out flying in the second half. The Blue Tigers created numerous chances and finally, in the 59th minute, they equalised the score following a well-worked corner.

Super-Sub Roshan Singh

The debutant changed the tide of the game after he was subbed on at the beginning of the second half. His perfectly placed cross led to India equalising the game. The 23-year-old was a constant threat throughout his time on the pitch and was a crucial part of India’s comeback, glimpses of which he showed throught Bengaluru FC's Hero ISL 2021-22 campaign.

Related tags:

2021-2022