Dushanbe (Tajikistan) India’s hope of notching up their first win in an international futsal match got dashed when they went down to Palestine 5-6 in the third and final group league AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2024 Qualifiers encounter at the Dushanbe Indoor Stadium on Wednesday.
Playing in an international futsal tournament for the first time, India ended their campaign by losing all three matches in the group but raised enough hopes of coming back stronger in the near future. In the four-team group, India finished last, while Palestine grabbed the third spot on the basis of their win over India. Hosts Tajikistan and Myanmar are the two teams who qualified for the next phase.
After a seesaw battle that saw the lead changing hands more than once, Palestine had the last laugh when they scored the winning goal through Imad Fahjan two minutes before the final whistle. India, who conceded two goals within five minutes of the start of the tie, struck back in grand fashion and led 4-3 after the 20-minute first half ended.
However, India failed to sustain the momentum in the second session and allowed the rivals to penetrate their defence time and again resulting in Palestine finding the net three times in this period.
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