Indian football team deserves praise for fighting draw against China despite riding on sheer luck at times

The past couple of days were ones to forget for sports junkies in China. On Friday, China’s T20 cricket team ended the ICC World Twenty20 Asia Region Qualifier B with six defeats in as many games, to finish at the bottom of their group. The following day, the China PR football team, coached by World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi, was restricted to a goalless draw by the Indian national team. It was the latter that made headlines in neighbouring India, as it was a noteworthy result for the Blue Tigers against a side ranked 21 places above them. [caption id=“attachment_5375391” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Indian striker Sunil Chhetri in action against China in a friendly. Image courtesy: ISL[/caption] Announcing the all-important international friendly against Team Dragon, on 20 July, the All Indian Football Federation (AIFF) ensured India would be given a stern test as they get ready for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. And, it panned out well. Although India would go on to share the spoils with their Chinese opponents, the performance looked better than earlier. Dressed in blue jerseys, paired with white shorts, India were led by defender Sandesh Jhingan as they walked onto the field at Suzhou Olympic Sports Stadium in Jiangsu, in what was the country’s first official international friendly on Chinese soil. As soon as referee Ravshan Imratov blew the whistle for kick-off, the hosts started pressing the Indian team. Trying to invade India’s 16-yard-box by storming in from the left-side, China gave India’s backline an early wake-up call. Trying to maintain their defensive shape, India responded with urgency. Sandesh Jhingan, who blocked Wu Lei’s attempt in the seventh minute, put up a commendable display on Saturday, and so did his defensive partners Pritam Kotal and Narayan Das in full-back positions. However, Subhasish Bose, who was deployed in the centre of defence in place of Anas Edathodika, had a tough time keeping the attackers at bay. The Indian midfield is not quite known for its attacking character, but in the 13th minute, the playmakers showcased a different image. Contrary to its orthodox long-ball technique to create chances, the Indian midfielders combined beautifully as they charged forward for the first time on a cold night in Suzhou. Latching onto a loose delivery outside the box, Pronay Halder played a ball for Udanta Singh, who sent it through the space between two Chinese players for Anirudh Thapa. Thanks to Kotal’s overlapping run into the box, the Indian supporters in the stadium were given the first dose of hope. Although the right-back shot it wide into the sky from a tight angle, it was an encouraging move from a usually quiet Indian midfield. While the medios put up a decent performance in the first half, India’s most reliable unit, Sunil Chhetri, had a game to forget. Failing to get to the end of a near-perfect free-kick delivery from Thapa, Chhetri blew off first of his many chances. Constantly denying Chinese strikes a chance at goal, custodian Gurpreet Singh Sandhu was arguably India’s best player of the night. In the 24th minute, the Bengaluru FC goalkeeper blocked Gao Lin’s left-footed shot through his legs, to keep India level until the break. Plaudits for Sandhu’s reflexes continued even in the second half, which mostly saw India defend against a reenergised Chinese midfield. Lippi tweaked the squad going into the second half, but they remained poor in front of the goal, wasting a handful of chances to take the lead. Early into the second-half, Gao Lin yet again tested the Indian defence, which was found napping in the 50th minute. However, to Lin’s misfortune, the shot ricocheted off the crossbar. China’s poor finishing in the final third and lack of luck kept the home crowd frustrated. From witnessing a similar off-the-woodwork bounce off Wu Lei’s powerful volley to failing to the find the back of the net from inches off the goal, amidst a melee, China missed two chances in a matter of six minutes. It was nothing less than a ‘heart-in-mouth’ feeling for the Indian side, which relied heavily on Sandhu’s goalkeeping expertise. Brought on to replace Jeje Lalpekhlua, who had a sub-par game, Farukh Choudhary found himself in a goal-scoring in the dying minutes of the feisty affair. Taking control of a diagonal ball off his chest, Nikhil Poojary supplied the ball into the path of Choudhary, who made his way towards the target but was guilty of fluffing the chance. That was India’s last chance to get a goal. But, even as they failed to put one up, the team did well to keep the wasteful Chinese team silent. Despite the stalemate, and the luck India rode on, the Indian outfit deserves praise as they put up a performance which was far superior to the ones in recent times. Stephen Constantine and his boys have lessons to learn, both in attack and defence, but battling against a high-grade side will bolster their confidence. The result would be vital in India’s preparation for the Asian dream, and the friendlies lined up ahead, away from home, would further add to their build-up ahead of their flight to UAE in 2019.