India Aims for Back-to-Back Wins at CAFA Tournament in Singapore

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Updated on: Oct 08, 2025 08:26 pm IST


          India aims to revive their Asian Cup qualification hopes against

          Singapore, facing challenges with limited match practice and a tough

          opponent.

        




                Kolkata: India resume their quest to qualify for an

                unprecedented third successive Asian Cup finals in Singapore on

                Thursday. With a barren draw and a subsequent defeat, the

                goalless, lifeless campaign needs revitalization. India will

                have to achieve that with minimal football practice. They have

                succeeded once before, but if the CAFA Nations Cup was a

                rehearsal, this is the real test.
              

                

                  

                


              Predictably, Khalid Jamil and Vikram Partap Singh faced questions

              regarding the lack of football affecting preparations. The head

              coach and forward deflected these queries as best as they could at

              Wednesday’s pre-match media conference. “The CAFA Cup (in

              Tajikistan) was useful in that regard,” mentioned Jamil. “The

              players are professionals and must take responsibility.” Singh

              noted that they are doing training work at home and in national

              camps.
            

              India have played four matches, all in Tajikistan, since Jamil

              took charge in August. Under 37-year-old interim coach Gavin Lee,

              previously Tsutomu Ogura’s assistant, Singapore played two: a 1-2

              loss to Malaysia and a 1-1 draw against Myanmar.
            

              The Singapore Premier League commenced on August 23, with six of

              the eight teams having played three matches each. Seven players in

              Lee’s squad, including Ikhsan Fandi who scored against India in

              2022, play internationally. Fandi is on loan with Ratchaburi FC in

              Thai League 1 and has participated in four of the club’s seven

              matches, according to Transfermarkt. India’s top tier league is

              unlikely to start before mid-December.
            

              Currently holding four points, Singapore tops their four-team

              group, which includes Bangladesh and Hong Kong. Their 2-1 victory

              in Bangladesh, with goals from Fandi and Song Ui-young, has

              elevated hopes for a first-ever finals berth. Singapore skipper

              Hariss Harun advised caution, saying the message after the win was

              “to not get carried away.”
            

              Attacking midfielder Song, 31, renounced his South Korean

              citizenship to become a Singapore national in 2021 after moving

              there in 2011 to play for Home United, now renamed Lions City

              Sailors, where Lee selected seven players. Midfielder Kyoga

              Nakamura, who represented Japan in the under-17 World Cup in 2013,

              is another naturalized player in the squad.
            

              “India has a distinct style and has shown efficacy with it. The

              kind of clarity they possess comes only from excellent coaching,”

              Lee stated when questioned about the visitors employing a deep

              defensive block similar to their third-place finish strategy in

              Tajikistan.
            

              Whether India follows this path will depend on the situation, but

              to achieve a positive outcome, “we will need to proceed with

              caution,” asserted Jamil. India hasn't won against Singapore in

              Singapore since a friendly match in August 1973.
            

              Sunil Chhetri, who missed the Tajikistan tournament, and Sandesh

              Jhingan, recovering from a cheekbone injury, are available, said

              Jamil. Chhetri’s inclusion will be advantageous for India, Harun

              commented. “He remains the face of Indian football.”
            



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                Stay informed with the latest sports news, including headline

                updates from the Durand Cup Final Live. Experience all the

                action from tennis Grand Slam tournaments, follow your favorite

                football teams and players with up-to-date match results, and

                receive the latest on international hockey tournaments and

                series.
              


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