India suffered their second defeat of the AFC Asian Cup, going down 3-0 to Uzbekistan after a loss to Australia in the opener.
Igor Stimac, the manager of the Indian football team, claimed that his side was “sloppy” and “irresponsible” with the ball. Following the team’s 3-0 loss to Uzbekistan in the competition’s second match, Stimac was once again left to lament the group’s “silly mistakes” on Thursday.
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India now sits at the bottom of Group B’s points standings following their two losses. Australia leads the standings with six points, followed by Uzbekistan with four. Syria is in third place with one point after being defeated 0-1 by Australia and drawing 0-0 with Uzbekistan.
India needs to win their remaining game against Syria in order to advance to the AFC Asian Cup’s next round. The two teams with the best chances of qualifying are Australia and Uzbekistan. India’s aspirations rest on finishing among the top three teams in each group.
“I could be satisfied with the performance if we removed the goals from the game that were the result of careless errors,” India coach Stimac remarked.
In Doha, Uzbekistan, things got underway early. The 20-year-old CSKA Moscow winger Abbosbek Fayzullaev gave the Uzbeks the lead in the fifth minute by heading in Otabek Shukurov’s looping header.
India’s chaotic defense gave way to a sliding goal 14 minutes later for the second goal. Using a chip against his own bar, Sandesh Jhingan allowed Igor Sergeev to score off the rebound.
Sherzod Nasrullaev scored a third goal during first-half stoppage time, dashing the Blue Tigers’ dreams of an extraordinary comeback.
In the second half, Uzbekistan decelerated, permitting India to make several attempts to provide Sunil Chhetri at the center of the attack. However, the seasoned striker labored in vain and was replaced with 20 minutes remaining.
