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On Thursday, January 18, the Indian football team crashed to a tough defeat by 3-0 in their Group B clash of the AFC Asian Cup against Uzbekistan. At the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, the Indians conceded three goals in the first half to Uzbekistan, derailing any chances for them to make a comeback in the contest.
The first half saw the Indian football team, ranked 102 in the FIFA World Rankings, start terribly in defence, allowing the attackers of Uzbekistan, who are ranked 34 places above them, to have regular attempts on target. In the fourth minute, Abbosek Fayzullaev put the Uzbeks in the lead by 1-0 after putting a quality-headed pass from Sherzod Nasrullaev in the back of the net.
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A mess in the defence in the 18th minute saw the Blue Tigers concede the second goal of the night to Uzbekistan, which was scored by Igor Sergeev. The mistake came from Rahul Bheke in the Indian backline after he was unable to make a clearance, and in the immediate aftermath, the goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu seemed like a bystander as the Uzbek player finished off the chance.
The third goal came in the first half injury time for Uzbekistan through Sherzod Nasurllaev, putting India firmly on the back foot. Despite a better defensive showing in the second half, the Indian football team could only go home with a 3-0 loss against the White Wolves.
Notably, India were already beaten in their first match of Group B by Australia with a 2-0 margin, and the second defeat against Uzbekistan has sent them on the brink of elimination from the AFC Asian Cup 2023. They are slated to face Syria in their last match of the group stage on January 23, which will decide their fate in the tournament.
