Credit: Twitter
It seemed to be all at sea in the first Asian Games 2023 game against China, as India conceded a barrage of goals in the second half to lose 5-1. The Blue Tigers came back with a solid performance against Bangladesh, including a Sunil Chettri penalty in the 85th minute.
Igor Stimac’s men looked much more organized in this game, as the team seemed to have had some rest after some rough travel. Despite their difficulties, the team was solid throughout the 90 minutes and created some very threatening attacks but failed to find the finish. Bangladesh's goalkeeper Mitul had an excellent game as he saved many strong shots to keep the score at 0-0 for the majority of the game.
Bangladesh tried fast counterattacks, and some fragile defense gave them the ball in some dangerous positions, but the defense managed to recover and successfully block or clear the ball. It was an immensely physical game, with India getting multiple freekicks around the penalty box that flew close to the goal, and finally Bryce Miranda was fouled in the box by Bangladesh captain Rahmat Mia as he was receiving a long ball. Chettri successfully converted the penalty as he drilled it to the bottom left corner and gave India the win.
Watch Chettri's goal:
India moved to third in Group A at the Asian Games 2023 with three points and will next face Myanmar on Sunday, September 24. Bangladesh lost their opener against Myanmar, by a 0-1 scoreline and are now perpetually out of the qualification race. Meanwhile, Myanmar will face China on September 21 in a top-of-the-table clash, the result of which will be crucial to India’s hopes of finishing in the top two of the table.
