CAFA Nations Cup: India awaits playoff spot confirmation following stalemate against Afghanistan

Hisor [Tajikistan], September 4 (ANI): India played retired a stalemate against Afghanistan successful their past Group B lucifer successful the CAFA Nations Cup 2025 successful Hisor, Tajikistan, connected Thursday.

India's centre back, Anwar Ali, was named the Player of the Match. The Blue Tigers decorativeness Group B with 4 points from 3 games, and present await the effect of the lucifer betwixt Iran and Tajikistan to cognize their destiny successful the tournament. Already ruled retired of finishing apical of the group, India could decorativeness second, which volition guarantee their progression to the third-place lucifer connected September 8, if Tajikistan bash not triumph against Iran, arsenic per an All India Football Federation (AIFF).

Afghanistan started the crippled connected the beforehand ft astatine the Hisor Central Stadium, though India created much clear-cut chances successful the opening exchanges connected the counter. A small aft the quarter-hour mark, Ashique Kuruniyan managed to interruption done down connected the near and chopped it backmost for Irfan Yadwad, who missed his shot.

India goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu was called into enactment successful the 24th minute, erstwhile helium made a astute prevention disconnected a agelong changeable by Ali Reza Panahi. Minutes later, Yadwad was played done into the Afghanistan box, but his eventual changeable went wide of the acold post.

Ashique managed to adjacent down Afghanistan centre-back Mahboob Hanifi successful the 34th minute, and stole the shot wrong the box, and lone had goalkeeper Faisal Ahmad Hamidi to beat, but the second smothered the ball. The India winger received a booking for colliding with Hamidi successful his efforts to get to the ball.

Jithin MS, who got his archetypal commencement successful India colours, tip-toed astir his marker connected the close and squared it to Ashique, minutes earlier the half-time interval, but the latter's changeable from the borderline of the country was blocked. Jithin had different accidental successful the archetypal fractional wounded time, erstwhile helium got onto a clearance astatine the borderline of the Afghanistan container and fired it connected the fractional turn, sending the shot agonisingly implicit the woodwork.

India gained much power of the crippled aft the alteration of ends, caput manager Khalid Jamil opting to present Manvir Singh (Jr) and Vikram Partap Singh into the fray.

The archetypal existent accidental of the fractional came astir the hr mark, erstwhile Nikhil Prabhu, with the extracurricular of his boot, threaded a done shot to a chasing Jithin, but it was conscionable retired of the latter's reach.

Jithin had different accidental aft Uvais' agelong propulsion recovered Jithin astatine the acold post, but his changeable went implicit successful the 66th minute.

Afghanistan had arguably the champion accidental of the crippled successful the 71st minute, erstwhile Hossein Zamani chopped 1 backmost from the close to Yama Sherzad, whose changeable was tipped onto the cross-bar by Sandhu.

The Lions of Khorasan began to summation much momentum towards the extremity of the match, but the Blue Tigers' defence held connected to gain the draw. (ANI)