Indian Football: The World Cup, Asian Cup, and Exciting Players

Introduction

To view India’s success over the years, we can note how India was rated 106th in the Fédération Internationale de Football Association Rankings in 2021. They have risen one place after winning the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship 2021. Captained by Sunil Chhetri, they beat Nepal in the final.

Football fans had been discussing India’s ambition to qualify for the World Cup as far-fetched and unattainable. This was soon disproven after the team drew 1-1 with Afghanistan. The points they earned from this draw guaranteed a place for them in the final round of qualifiers for the 2023 Asian Cup.

India’s Journey to Qualify for the World Cup

India began its qualifying competition journey with a tight 2-1 setback at home to Oman. That was followed by an unremarkable goalless draw in Doha. In the second game, India was defeated 0-1 by Asian champion Qatar.

They then played a draw with both Bangladesh and Afghanistan in their third and fourth matches. However, they lost 1-0 away from home to Oman in their fifth encounter. They also lost 1-0 against Qatar in a game where they were forced to defend as the Qataris attacked in waves.

India again missed the chance to progress in the World Cup qualifiers. The only possible silver lining would be making it to third place in the group. That at least got them straight into the third round of the Asian Cup 2023 qualifiers.

The Silver Lining-AFC Asian Cup

All hope for India seemed lost after failing to qualify for the World Cup. However, with one game left to grab some points, India triumphantly managed alone win. They put together a hard-fought 2-0 victory against rival Bangladesh. This resulted in the team finishing in third place out of five, with only six points. Nevertheless, it booked the team a ticket to the third round of the AFC Asian Cup football championship. This is due to be held in 2023.

Top coach Igor Stimac believes the national team’s development will be determined by how much time they have to prepare for the crucial matches. ” If we make sure that we get enough time to prepare for the games, then we might expect good football and good results. Otherwise, we’re going to gamble. It’s as simple as that because our players will start twice a season now, ” said Coach Igor Stimac in an online press conference.

The third round of qualifications will take place in February 2022, and odds makers and sports betting sites cannot seem to agree on their odds. Stimac stated that they must develop a comprehensive strategy if they’re going to have any chance of winning the event.

Indian Players That Still Give the Team Hope

Current players who have been crucial to the team in different capacities and contributed to its occasional success are explored below. These are the players that continue to give the national team hope.

According to FIFA, Sunil Chhetri, the Indian men’s football team captain, is the country’s highest-rated player. On October 16th, 2021, Sunil Chhetri became the second-highest active international goalscorer, tied with Lionel Messi and just behind Cristiano Ronaldo. He is India’s most capped player and also the country’s all-time leading goalscorer.

Chhetri played at Mohun Bagan before progressing on to JCT, where he managed to score 21 goals in 48 games. Chhetri was instrumental in India’s winning the Nehru Cup in 2007, 2009, and 2012. He was also important in winning the SAFF Championship in 2011, 2015, and 2021. He further assisted India in winning the AFC Challenge Cup in 2008, which earned them their first AFC Asian Cup in 27 years.

Another player that stands out is Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. He’s a well-known Indian footballer who plays for the Indian Super League club Bengaluru and the India national team as a goalkeeper. Sandhu was made captain of the Indian national team in 2016, in a match against Puerto Rico, in which India triumphed 4–1.

Singh is the very first Indian to take part in a competitive game for a European club’s first team, after playing for Stabk FC in Norway. He was a fifth Indian to play professionally in Europe, succeeding Mohammed Salim, Baichung Bhutia, Sunil Chhetri and Subrata Pal..

Conclusion

After some disappointing defeats, India has ended up third in their qualifying group, not making it to the finals. However, the silver lining was that their third place booked them a ticket for the third round of the AFC. The team also has two players who give the country hope: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and prolific goal scorer Sunil Chhetri make Indian football exciting to watch. Let’s hope India can utilize these two talents to create magic during the AFC Cup. All we can do now is wait and see.