3-0 might already be beyond Team India, but Goal.com's Amoy Ghoshal believes the fighting spirit of Armando Colaco's side has made the whole nation proud.
Qatar referee Banjar Al Dosari made all the headlines in India’s much awaited first leg of the 2014 World Cup qualifier against UAE in Al Ain City on Saturday evening.
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The Qatari’s controversial decision to send off India’s number one both killed the game as a contest and also denied Indian football fans the opportunity to find out how much the Indian national team has improved under coach Armando Colaco.
Going by the rules, Dosari had every right to show Debabrata Roy the red card and award UAE a penalty when the Indian left back fouled Al Wehaibi inside the box.
But to give Paul the marching orders for having minimum contact with UAE’s left winger Ishmail Al Hammadi didn’t really make much sense and the fact that he awarded a penalty for an off-the ball incident, made the whole situation even more dubious.
UAE might have won even if India had eleven men but the two sending offs, especially the controversial second one ensured a comfortable evening for the home side.
However the West Asian nation could only score once from open play against nine-man India and the reason for that was the fighting display put up by Armando Colaco’s players as they battled hard with two less men for nearly 70 minutes.
The early stages of the game gave some indications of the fact that Armando’s India don’t play the long-ball football, which one could associate with the South Asians during the Bob Houghton era.
India looked to the pass the ball meaningfully but more importantly tried to have a perfect mix of short passing and direct football, which did saw them win two corners and cause UAE keeper Ali Khaseif some problems.
The opening penalty goal from Hamdan Al Kamali and Debarata’s red card did deflate the Indians to an extent but Paul’s sending off broke their hearts. The Indian camp contemplated walking off from the match but instructed to carry on by their influential coach, the side ranked 37 places below hosts UAE fought bravely and avoided a humiliation.
Goalkeeper Karanjit Singh, who incidentally made his senior India debut in this game, had a nervous start but slowly started inspiring the eight players in front of him with some crucial punches from crosses and fine reflex saves.
The Salgaocar custodian proved to be India’s best player on the night in the end but he wouldn’t have kept out UAE for so long without the efforts of his teammates as everybody including star striker Sunil Chhetri chipped in to stop the ‘Whites’ from scoring.
Center backs Gouramangi Moirangthem and Raju Gaekwad deserve special praise for their dogged defending and the calmness the two showed in difficult situations. While India’s Mr.Versatile Syed Rahim Nabi once again showed what an asset he is for the team as he slotted in flawlessly at left back.
Sunil Chhetri fought a lonely battle upfront but still managed to have a couple of decent attempts on goal.
Climax Lawrence and company saw very little of the ball in the middle of the park, in fact India couldn’t really afford to have a midfield as the majority of the play was in their half. But the Indian captain for the night and the rest of the players ran and ran as much as they could to somehow ensure a respectable scoreline.
India had lost 5-0 to the Srecko Katanec’s UAE back in November 2010 and a repeat of that score was on the cards when referee Dosari reduced the Men in Blue to nine. But Colaco’s players didn’t accept a hammering so easily and proved that this is a totally different Indian side, which is on the rise.
The expectations were high after the historic win over Qatar last Sunday so the result will disappoint the Indian football faithful but the team effort and fighting spirit should inspire the fans to remain optimistic about the return leg in New Delhi.
3-0 might be beyond India’s reach so the World Cup 2014 dream might be over very quickly but Armando Colaco’s players have certainly made the nation proud by not giving up and fighting till the end despite the numerical disadvantage.
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* Three key battles in the UAE - India clash
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* Fanview: India v/s UAE - What do you expect?
* Know Your Rivals: UAE
* India coach unhappy with the referee
* UAE boss disappointed against India
The Qatari’s controversial decision to send off India’s number one both killed the game as a contest and also denied Indian football fans the opportunity to find out how much the Indian national team has improved under coach Armando Colaco.
Going by the rules, Dosari had every right to show Debabrata Roy the red card and award UAE a penalty when the Indian left back fouled Al Wehaibi inside the box.
But to give Paul the marching orders for having minimum contact with UAE’s left winger Ishmail Al Hammadi didn’t really make much sense and the fact that he awarded a penalty for an off-the ball incident, made the whole situation even more dubious.
UAE might have won even if India had eleven men but the two sending offs, especially the controversial second one ensured a comfortable evening for the home side.
However the West Asian nation could only score once from open play against nine-man India and the reason for that was the fighting display put up by Armando Colaco’s players as they battled hard with two less men for nearly 70 minutes.
The early stages of the game gave some indications of the fact that Armando’s India don’t play the long-ball football, which one could associate with the South Asians during the Bob Houghton era.
India looked to the pass the ball meaningfully but more importantly tried to have a perfect mix of short passing and direct football, which did saw them win two corners and cause UAE keeper Ali Khaseif some problems.
The opening penalty goal from Hamdan Al Kamali and Debarata’s red card did deflate the Indians to an extent but Paul’s sending off broke their hearts. The Indian camp contemplated walking off from the match but instructed to carry on by their influential coach, the side ranked 37 places below hosts UAE fought bravely and avoided a humiliation.
Goalkeeper Karanjit Singh, who incidentally made his senior India debut in this game, had a nervous start but slowly started inspiring the eight players in front of him with some crucial punches from crosses and fine reflex saves.
The Salgaocar custodian proved to be India’s best player on the night in the end but he wouldn’t have kept out UAE for so long without the efforts of his teammates as everybody including star striker Sunil Chhetri chipped in to stop the ‘Whites’ from scoring.
Center backs Gouramangi Moirangthem and Raju Gaekwad deserve special praise for their dogged defending and the calmness the two showed in difficult situations. While India’s Mr.Versatile Syed Rahim Nabi once again showed what an asset he is for the team as he slotted in flawlessly at left back.
Sunil Chhetri fought a lonely battle upfront but still managed to have a couple of decent attempts on goal.
Climax Lawrence and company saw very little of the ball in the middle of the park, in fact India couldn’t really afford to have a midfield as the majority of the play was in their half. But the Indian captain for the night and the rest of the players ran and ran as much as they could to somehow ensure a respectable scoreline.
India had lost 5-0 to the Srecko Katanec’s UAE back in November 2010 and a repeat of that score was on the cards when referee Dosari reduced the Men in Blue to nine. But Colaco’s players didn’t accept a hammering so easily and proved that this is a totally different Indian side, which is on the rise.
The expectations were high after the historic win over Qatar last Sunday so the result will disappoint the Indian football faithful but the team effort and fighting spirit should inspire the fans to remain optimistic about the return leg in New Delhi.
3-0 might be beyond India’s reach so the World Cup 2014 dream might be over very quickly but Armando Colaco’s players have certainly made the nation proud by not giving up and fighting till the end despite the numerical disadvantage.
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