Blue Tigers Disappoint; Maroons Beat India 2-0 (Image: Twitter.com/IndianFootball)
India lost to Qatar in their second match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 2 held at Bhubaneswar in Odisha. At the final whistle, the score stood at 0-3. On all fronts—defence, attack, and midfield—the Maroons outperformed the brave Blue Tigers. Despite being the winners of the Tri-Nations Series, Intercontinental Cup, and the SAFF Championship this year, the Indian performance was not enough to secure a positive result against the Asian champions.
A brave fight from the #BlueTigers in Bhubaneswar wasn”t enough to get a result against the Asian champions.#INDQAT ⚔️ #FIFAWorldCup 🏆 #IndianFootball ⚽ pic.twitter.com/EE3uOVNlKc
— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) November 21, 2023
Qatar, who had hosted the FIFA World Cup in last November and December, effortlessly surpassed India, widening its lead at the summit of the table. India is at the second spot on Group A with three points garnered from the win against Kuwait.
The persistent inquiries posed by Qatar exposed a faltering Indian defense that lacked the sharpness to thwart the visiting team”s attackers.
India”s defensive line struggled with tight marking and failed to anticipate the numerous plays executed by Qatar.
While India managed a few promising opportunities, they ultimately couldn”t capitalize and find the back of the net. It proved to be a disheartening evening for the underdogs.
Kalinga Stadium on Tuesday witnessed goals from Moustafa Tarek Mashal, Almoez Ai and Yousuf Abdurisag. India have had decent chances including the one at 64th minute, in which Sahal Abdul Samad”s shot went wide.
Legendary football manager and Chief of Global Football Development, FIFA Arsene Wenger was also in attendance today to witness the match. Before the match, Wenger visited the Football House in New Delhi on Monday, November 20, 2023, and had an interaction with the heads of a select group of football academies from across the country.
