India vs Nepal: Naorem Mahesh takes his chances as other reserves disappoint and Sunil Chhetri scores again

Sunil Chhetri bailing India out on a tough night. It’s a theme that can be cut-copy-pasted across multiple India games since the debut of the talismanic striker in 2005. And on Saturday, on a rainy night at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru, the 38-year-old proved to be the knight in shining armour once again with the opening goal after 60-odd minutes of disappointing football from the hosts. For Chhetri, scoring and playing are non-negotiable. While we continue to wonder who could replace him in the India XI, Chhetri remains stubborn about playing every game. “He refused to take rest despite us asking him to,” India assistant coach Mahesh Gawli explained as Chhetri started his third straight game in the last six days. Eventually, 101st-ranked India defeated 174th Nepal 2-0 to qualify for the semi-finals of the ongoing Bangabandhu SAFF Championship 2023. Nepal put up a spirited fight, egged on by a vocal away support in the stands and while the Chhetri goal gave India the opener, it was the second goal that put the matter to rest.

Strong away support for Nepal at the Kanteerava. pic.twitter.com/fPdv9wqyqg

— Ujwal (@UjwalKS) June 24, 2023

It was the second goal that killed Nepal’s hopes. Naorem Mahesh Singh after creating the first one for his captain, scored his first for India in the 70th minute. Mighty Mahesh On a night, where coach Igor Stimac decided to retain just three from the side that routed Pakistan 4-0 — Chhetri, Sahal Abdul Samad and Anirudh Thapa — and turning the game into an audition for the reserves, it was Naorem Mahesh who stood taller as other reserves had a rather substandard outing. While Nikhil Poojary and Udanta Singh failed to click together as pair from the right, first-choice left full-back Akash Mishra returned to the starting XI and formed a marauding partnership with Mahesh on the left. After multiple through balls and cutbacks, in the 61st minute, another eye-catching one-two between Sahal and Mahesh opened up the defence for India as the latter played a cross into the box that was tapped in by the captain, leader, legend — Chhetri. As India look to find their best players ahead of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, Mahesh made the most of the opportunity among the six reserves who were offered a chance to start the match. If he continues to sparkle the way he has since his debut in March, he could find himself replacing Ashique Kuruniyan at the left.

. @IndianFootball continues their @SAFFfootball Championship run with another win! Both Sunil Chhetri and Mahesh Naorem scored as India have now sealed a spot in the semi-finals. pic.twitter.com/1kOfL6mdRl

— Brown Ballers (@brownballershq) June 24, 2023

“(He’s an) excellent talent and a future star for Indian football. A very quality (player), and passionate (person). I think he’ll become a very good player in the future,” Gawli was full of praise for the Manipur left-winger. Nepal mid-block and India’s frustration The same can’t be said about Mahesh’s other teammates who got an audition opportunity thanks to workload management. In the absence of Lallianzuala Chhangte, the midfield lacked the usual zip as Nepal implemented a mid-block. In fact, the visitors were clearly the better side in the first half and also created multiple chances after India bossing the game in the initial minutes. After Sahal spurned a chance in the 16th minute, Arik Bista tested Gurpreet Singh Sandhu with a first-time volley capitalising on Mehtab Singh’s clearance. Manish Dangi from the right flank proved to be an equal menace. “I think in the first half, Nepal did not give us the chance to play. They were very tough (to break down) and extremely strong (in defense). In the second half, we kept the ball in a cool and calm manner. It was not particularly because of (Lallianzuala) Chhangte and Rahim (Ali) and whoever else came on because, frankly, we were already 2-0 up by then," former Dempo SC player and former centre-back Gawli explained after the match. The fact that Nepal had seven shots despite having just 36 per cent of the ball possession makes it clear that the defensive pairing of Rahul Bheke and Mehtab had a tough time containing the Nepalese attacker. Rohit Kumar in the defensive midfield role instead of Jeakson Singh also had a lacklustre outing. It’s understandable that the incoming players took time to settle down but the spring in India’s feet after Chhangte and Jeakson came on in the second half exposed what they had lacked early on. If anything, this would add to the headache of coach Igor Stimac as he continues to search for the best 14-15 players for the Asian Cup and ensures that India would continue to see the Croatian tinker with the lineup even more going forward. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.