Al Khor (Qatar): India's campaign in the ongoing AFC Asian Cup came to an end on Tuesday with a 1-0 defeat against Syria. Coming into the contest, the scenario to qualify for the knockouts was already tough.
They lost the first couple of games against Australia and Uzbekistan respectively. The disappointing performances put them in such a situation that a victory was important to stay alive in the competition. Even a victory wouldn't have been able to guarantee a spot and they would have to rely on other results.
However, India suffered a defeat by one goal thanks to a strike from Omar Kharbin. The team showed fight till the half-time but Syria dominated the proceedings towards the end.
India got a chance in the fifth minute of the game but Manvir Singh was slightly late in providing a pass to Sunil Chhetri and Aihan Ousou interfered with a block. Three minutes later, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu saved a corner but the Syrian player missed an opportunity to capitalise on the rebound and a header from him went above the bar.
In the 18th minute, a shot from Ibrahim Hessar was blocked by Gurpreet but the ball fell inside the box. Subhashish Bose was quick to interrupt and kicked the ball away for clearance.
India made some good moves in the half-time but failed to put the ball into the box for the strikers to create chances. Also, Sandesh Jhingan suffered an injury and the teams were at 0-0 at half-time.
Both the teams were fighting hard but Syria broke the deadlock in the 76th minute. Ibrahim Hesar provided a cut back from the left and provided a beautiful assist to Omar Kharbin, who struck the ball into the back off the net. With the defeat, India is now eliminated from the AFC Asian Cup and they will now aim to provide an improved performance in future tournaments after a disappointing campaign.
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