Khalid Jamil blames 'lack of concentration' for India's defeat against Singapore: 'We conceded a silly goal...'

Khalid Jamil blamed the players’ “lack of concentration” after the Indian team slumped to a stunning 1-2 defeat against lower-ranked Singapore in their 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifying game in Goa on Tuesday.

The Blue Tigers ended up losing the game despite seizing the lead via Lallianzuala Chhangte’s 14th-minute strike and playing a better brand of football than they did in recent matches, thanks to Song Ui-young’s brace. The South Korean-born midfielder fired the equaliser at the cusp of half-time before putting Singapore, a team that’s 24 places below India on the FIFA rankings, in the lead shortly before the hour mark.

Jamil rues ‘silly goal’ due to lack of concentration

Speaking to official broadcaster JioHotstar after India’s latest heartbreak, which extended their winless run in the third round of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, recently-appointed coach Jamil blamed the loss of concentration for the defeat.

“Even after starting well in the second session, we conceded a silly goal due to lack of defenders’ concentration. Despite playing good football, we missed several chances. This was also the lack of players’ concentration in a crucial time,” Jamil said after the match.

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India have slumped to the bottom of Group C in the third round of the qualifiers after suffering their second defeat in four games; they’re level on points with neighbours Bangladesh in terms of points and Goal Difference, but are behind in terms of the numbers of goals scored.

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The loss also marks the end of India's chances of qualifying for the tournament, which takes place in Saudi Arabia two years from now. This is the first time the Blue Tigers have failed to qualify for the Asian Cup since the tournament expanded to 24 teams from the 2019 edition.

Before Tuesday’s defeat, India had held Bangladesh and Singapore to 1-1 draws and had suffered a narrow 0-1 defeat at the hands of Hong Kong. They face Bangladesh away in their next outing on 18 November before concluding their qualifying campaign against Hong Kong on 31 March at home. India will be playing for pride in both games.