India make it to CAFA Nations Cup playoffs after stalemate against Afghanistan

Hisor [Tajikistan], September 5 (ANI): India qualified for the third-place playoff lucifer aft being held to a stalemate by Afghanistan successful their past Group B brushwood successful the CAFA Nations Cup 2025, astatine the Hisor Central Stadium successful Hisor, Tajikistan, connected Thursday.

The Blue Tigers had to hold for the 2nd lucifer of the time betwixt Iran and Tajikistan, which ended successful a 2-2 draw, to larn their fate.

Khalid Jamil's men finished the radical successful 2nd spot with 4 points (a win, a loss, and a draw), portion Iran topped Group B with 7 points from 3 matches each. Hosts Tajikistan, connected 4 points, and Afghanistan, connected 1 point, were knocked retired of the tournament. India finished up of Tajikistan by virtuousness of a amended head-to-head grounds aft beating them 2-1 successful the archetypal match. The Blue Tigers volition present play the third-place lucifer astatine the aforesaid venue connected September 8, arsenic per a property merchandise from AIFF.

They volition look the squad that finished 2nd successful Group A. As it stands, Oman and Uzbekistan are locked connected 4 points apiece, occupying the apical 2 spots successful the group; some person the aforesaid extremity quality (+1), and person scored the aforesaid fig of goals successful their 2 matches (3). Turkmenistan and the Kyrgyz Republic are 3rd and fourth, respectively, with a constituent apiece. Oman plays Turkmenistan, portion Uzbekistan look the Kyrgyz Republic connected the past matchday of Group A, connected Friday, September 5; some matches volition beryllium played successful Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Afghanistan started the crippled connected the beforehand foot, 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 AIFF property merchandise added.

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 gully and suffice for the playoffs. (ANI)