Hisor [Tajikistan], September 8 : India marked their debut appearance in the CAFA Nations Cup with a third-place finish, defeating higher-ranked Oman 3-2 on penalties after the proceedings ended 1-1 post extra time, at the Hisor Central Stadium in Hisor, Tajikistan, on Monday.
After Udanta Singh Kumam's 80th-minute goal cancelled out Jameel Al Yahmadi's 55th-minute opener, it was all down to the dreaded penalty shootout, as the 30 minutes of extra time did not yield any result. Oman defender Ali Al Busaidi was sent off in the 96th minute, as per a press release from the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
Lallianzuala Chhangte, Rahul Bheke, and Jithin MS scored for India in the penalties, while Anwar Ali's spot-kick was saved, and Udanta missed. Meanwhile, Thani Al Rushaidi, Muhsen Al Ghassani were the only two players to score their spot kicks for Oman. Harib Al Saadi and Ahmed Al Kaabi missed theirs, and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, in dramatic fashion, produced a save off the last kick off the game from Jameel Al Yahmadi.
It was one of those matches where pure statistics would not be able to paint the entire picture. While Oman enjoyed majority of possession, both sides shared nearly equal number of chances. India began on the front foot, launching counter attacks through Vikram Partap Singh and Lallianzuala Chhangte on the wings.
The Blue Tigers' real chance came in the 16th minute, when a Muhammed Uvais long throw was headed on towards Anwar by Nikhil Prabhu. The defender's powerful header was saved by Oman goalkeeper Ibrahim Al Mukhaini.
Oman, however, began to grow into the game, and Sandhu was soon called into the action in the 25th minute, when Issam Al Sabhi's shot from outside the box was palmed away by India's skipper keeper.
Minutes later, Nasser Al Rawahi was slipped through between the Indian defensive lines, and only had Sandhu to beat. However, his angular shot rolled wide of the goal.
India had a good chance to take the lead just before half-time, when Chhangte found Irfan Yadwad with a low cut-back, but the latter scuffed his shot, which went wide.
Oman started off on the front foot in the second half, and scored within 10 minutes of the restart, when Abdullah Fawaz flicked the ball from inside the box with the outside of his boot towards Al Yahmadi, who tapped it in at the far post.
An even contest ensued after the goal, as India looked for a way back into the match. Blue Tigers head coach Khalid Jamil, with a little over 10 minutes of regulation time left, introduced Udanta and Suresh Singh Wangjam into the fray, and the substitutions immediately made an impact.
Rahul Bheke's 80th-minute long throw was flicked on towards the far post by the head of Danish Farooq, as Udanta rushed in to produce an instinctive header that bounced into the net. There was a relatively long wait after the goal, as the video assistant referee checked for infringements in the box, but the goal was finally allowed.
Udanta created another opportunity in injury time, playing substitute Manvir Singh (jr) through with an aerial poke, but it was dealt with by the Oman defence as the match went into extra time.
Al Busaidi was given his marching orders after the commencement of extra time, and India now began to gain control of the proceedings with the man advantage. However, chances were few and far between in the additional 30 minutes, and the two sides soon had to line up for the dreaded penalties.
India shot into a 2-0 lead in the shootout after Al Saadi and Al Kaabi missed, but Oman goalkeeper Al Mukhaini's save off of Anwar's spot-kick, and Udanta's miss brought them back into the contest. Sandhu stepped in when it mattered the most, producing a diving save off Al Yahmadi's effort, to win the CAFA Nations Cup 2025 bronze medal for India.
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