10-men Indian squad falls 1-2 to Qatar in AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers

In the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers, India suffered a 1-2 defeat against Qatar. The demanding match was played in Doha in which India was reduced to 10 men affecting their second Group H clash.

Al Hashmi Mohialdin from Qatar scored the first goal but was later equalised by India’s Muhammed Suhail. Eventually, a penalty taken by Jassem Al Sharshani helped Qatar secure the match with three points on Saturday.

Following a 2-0 victory over Bahrain in the previous match, India had a promising start when Suhail almost scored from outside the box in the early second minute. Qatar then dominated and Mohialdin scored a goal in the 18th minute.

India fought back, and Suhail equalised after a successful interplay with Macarton and Sannan. However, the Indian defender, Pramveer, was shown a second yellow card, reducing India to 10 men. Consequently, a penalty was awarded to Qatar, which Al Sharshani successfully converted.

Qatar maintained their lead till the end of the match. India had a chance to equalise during injury time through a corner, but it was missed. With this victory, Qatar moved up to the top of the Group H table with six points from two matches. Despite the defeat, India remains third with three points, trailing behind Bahrain due to an inferior head-to-head record.