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India vs Sri Lanka, SAFF Championship: India will look to get their act together in the SAFF Championship when they face Sri Lanka in their second fixture on Thursday. Blue Tigers got the tournament underway with a disappointing 1-1 draw against Bangladesh. India took the lead against Bangladesh, dominated the early proceedings and should have seen the game home. With Bangla Tigers reduced to 10-men, India had the opportunity to add to Sunil Chhetri’s strike but passive play allowed Bangladesh to get the equaliser from a corner. Sri Lanka come into the fixture against India after two defeats where they conceded four goals and scored two. Chhetri is just one goal shy of the iconic Pele in terms of international goals scored and a struggling Sri Lanka will be a great opportunity to add to his tally. But he would need support from others in doing so. Coach Igor Stimac didn’t mince words in lambasting the side for dropping two points. “We have analysed our game against Bangladesh and we are not happy with the final result. We are two points from what we have to have in our kitty,” Stimac said at the pre-match conference.
India vs Sri Lanka Highlights, SAFF Championship: Blue Tigers held to 0-0 draw
Follow blog for live score and updates from India vs Sri Lanka in the SAFF Championship in Maldives.
 "India vs Sri Lanka Highlights, SAFF Championship: Blue Tigers held to 0-0 draw")
India’s fixtures
India have two more games to go: against Nepal (10 October) and hosts Maldives (13 October) to try and make the next round. India of the old would cruise past games and win even when they played badly. Now, not so much. Need massive improvement to get past teams in the South East Asia region now. Until then, goodbye!
India dominate the possession, earn bucketload of corners but have nothing substantial to get a goal. A solitary shot on target is not going to cut it.
FULL TIME!
India and Sri Lanka remain goalless after 100 minutes of football. Worryingly for India, seven-time SAFF Championship winners, they are yet to get a winner. Sri Lanka, after two defeats, gets a draw to salvage some pride. Blue Tigers, the far superior side on paper, look toothless after two games.
90+6’
Cross? Shot? Desperte ball from the left is controlled by Farukh who tries to lob the goalkeeper but the ball is plucked by the Lanka keeper
90+4’
India win a free kick and goalkeeper Gurpreet sends it long. Subhasish nods it into Manvir’s in the box, but Sri Lanka keeper Sujan Perera collects it. A moment later, another cross comes in and this time the keeper is clattered into as bodies pile up.
90’
Referee has the board up and eight minutes added on. Justified considering the changes and disruptions for bookings
87’
India getting close. Cross from outside the area into Sunil Chhetri who looks to find a fellow blue shirt but it is blocked away for a corner. From the corner, it falls to Subhasish Bose at the far post but he blazes it over
80’
Corner for India, Sunil Chhetri fails to control, it falls to Farukh Chaudhary and his shot from outside the area goes over.
Changes for both teams. Sri Lanka: Aakib replaces Razeek and for India, Manvir Singh replaces Mandar Rao
75’
Multiple bookings in quick time period then. Sri Lanka’s Supan and Sujan and India coach Igor Stimac
71’
India have the ball in the back of the net but it won’t count. There was a foul before the left footed shot by Farukh Chaudhary found the goal. No real protest on this one. A couple of seconds earlier, Igor Stimac went into the book for protesting against the time wasting tactics by the Sri Lanka players. And lo-and-behold, now the Lanka keeper Sujan is booked for taking a long time to take a free kick.
SUBSTITIONS
India make a double change: Anirudh Thapa and Liston Colaco go off for Farukh Choudhary, Sahal Abdul Samad
SUBSTITUTION
Sri Lanka replace Charitha with Fazal
60’
Chance! Opportunities piling up for India. Mandar Rao with a left footed cross from the left, hit low and invites the Indian attackers to go for it. Anirudh Thapa is at the front post and tries to steer it towards the goal but doesn’t get the contact he wanted. Gets a deflection and goes for a corner. There, India create another chance but the header goes wide
57’
Half a chance for India. Chhetri to Liston who dinks it forward to Udanta Singh who plays it in the centre of the Sri Lankan box but unfortunately no Indian goes for that ball. Charitha defends and chests it for the keeper.
56’
Yasir already proving to be a welcome change for India. Bright and full of energy, dictating things in the middle of the park. And most importantly, moving the ball swifter than the rest
49’
Anirudh Thapa with a pass down the left to Liston, who dispatches a a cross into the middle of the box. Udanta Singh darts into the area but is just inches away from getting to it
Second half underway
Sri Lanka get the second half going. Igor Stimac makes a change at the break: Suresh Singh goes out for Yasir Mohammad
HALF TIME!
India and Sri Lanka are goalless after 45 minutes. Only real chance in the first half falling to Liston who failed to convert
45’
India pile on the pressure on Sri Lanka. Some neat passing earns them a corner. And then two more after persisent pressure by India. On the final corner, Subhasish Bose gets head to it but is not in a good position to control it. Once again, a chance goes over. Four minutes added on
42’
Suresh Singh goes into the referee’s book now for a late challenge on Duckson. Late and has his studs showing into the Sri Lanka player
33’
Bit of a water break for everyone as Sri Lanka keeper Sujan goes down once again. Sunil Chhetri looking really animated as he talks to his teammates and he has every reason to be peeved. There’s no intensity, no strategy and approach so far seems to be: cross and hope with passes looking very laboured.
30’
Short corner taken by India at the half-hour mark. Anirudh Thapa passes it to Udanta Singh outside the box and the long range effort is well over the crossbar
22’
What a fantastic chance for India! Cross from the right, nearly the half-way line, and Liston Colaco is unmarked in the area. He has all the time in the world to direct this ball into the goal but heads it well over. Even had the time and space to control it and have a go. What a chance!
14’
Mandar Rao getting involved repeatedly in good position for India. Whips a neat left-footed cross in and it was destined for an India head but for the keeper’s intervention. A moment later, he runs beyond the Sri Lankan defence courtesy a through ball but his attempted low cross into the goalmouth is cleared
9’
Attack down the left channel for Sri Lanka. Charitha lays it off for Razeek who does well to hold off some Indian defenders but the shot is wide of the mark. Done well by the Indian defence to stand up and put him off
6’
Sri Lanka keeper Sujan stays down for a long period after being clattered into by multiple players.
4’
Asikur brings Udanta down on the right wing. A very late challenge and the Sri Lanka number 8 is booked. Indian players protest the late tackle and the dangerous nature of that attempt.
KICKOFF!
India get the contest underway. Sunil Chhetri on the centre line and he passes the ball back
Sri Lanka XI
Sujan, Chameera, Harsha, Duckson, Charitha, Supan, Asikur, De Silva, Hamilton, Razeek, Kavindu
Will Sunil Chhetri go level with Pele today?
Milestone alert:
— Firstpost Sports (@FirstpostSports) October 7, 2021
🇮🇳 Sunil Chhetri - 76 goals
🇧🇷 Pele/ 🇦🇪 Ali Mabkhout - 77 goals
🇮🇶 Hussein Saeed - 78 goals
🇦🇷 Messi/🇿🇲 Godfrey Chitalu - 79 goals#IndianFootball Live: https://t.co/g7n66RWY2q
India bench
Chinglensana Singh, Apuia, Manvir Singh, Brandon Fernandes, Farukh Choudhary, Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem, Jeakson Singh, Yasir Mohammad, Sahal Abdul Samad, Pritam Kotal, Rahim Ali, Vishal Kaith.
The Indian team are at the venue. Kickoff in 20 minutes
🇮🇳 have arrived 💪#INDSRI ⚔️ #SAFFChampionship2021 🏆 #BackTheBlue 💙 #BlueTigers 🐯 #IndianFootball ⚽ pic.twitter.com/Lf9xnCZRHm
— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) October 7, 2021
Igor Stimac in the pre-match press conference
“We need to look forward. There are three matches left in the group stage. We were punished in the last match, and we need to improve.”
“We need to be better defensively. If we can’t score the second goal, we need to make sure that we don’t concede the second goal. Man marking is extremely necessary when u plays serious football, and we just cannot keep giving the balls away,” the coach maintained.
Preview: India vs Sri Lanka
A 1-1 draw against 10-man Bangladesh denting their confidence, India will need to quickly get their act together as they take on Sri Lanka in their second SAFF Championship match on Thursday.
**[** **Read the preview** ]
What will be the outcome today?
Head-to-head
— Firstpost Sports (@FirstpostSports) October 7, 2021
20 matches played: 🇮🇳 India won 15, 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka 1, four draws.
What will be the outcome today in Maldives?#IndianFootball Live: https://t.co/g7n66RWY2q
India threw away their lead and man advantage against Bangladesh in their opener of the SAFF Championship. The 1-1 draw means India come into the second game, against Sri Lanka, with one point instead of the three.
Sri Lanka, nicknamed the Golden Army, come into the fixture after losing against Bangladesh (0-1) and Nepal (2-3).
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