Bhubaneswar, November 22: In their second match of the joint qualification campaign for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027, India faced a tough challenge against Asian Cup champions Qatar and suffered a 0-3 defeat. Fell. Mustafa Mashal (4′), Almoez Ali (46′) and Youssef Abdurisag (85′) scored three goals for Qatar.
Thank you, Bhubaneswar for all your support tonight 💙
It means a lot. Always. 🇮🇳#INDQAT ⚔️ #FIFAWorldCup 🏆 #BlueTigers 🐯 #IndianFootball ⚽ pic.twitter.com/eKrEVX1kib
— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) November 21, 2023
Despite five changes in the starting lineup, India could not stop Qatar from getting the full three points in this away match. Goalkeeper Amrinder Singh, who replaced Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, had to face challenges and Qatar immediately took the lead through Mustafa Mashal’s goal in the fourth minute.
Qatar continued their dominance, creating many corners and putting pressure on the Indian defence. Amrinder made some crucial saves, but Qatar were clearly in control as they got 10 corners in the first half while India did not get a single corner.
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
Despite Anirudh Thapa getting a late chance, India trailed 0-1 at halftime. In the second half, Qatar increased its lead with Almoez Ali’s goal in the 46th minute. India had a few chances, with Sahal Abdul Samad missing a clear chance in the 65th minute.
In the 85th minute, Youssef Abdurisaig’s header sealed the victory for Qatar by scoring 3-0. This defeat posed a significant challenge for India in the combined qualification campaign.
