India beat Afghanistan 2-1 in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers
India had won earlier in the day, boosting their hopes of reaching the Asian Cup final in 2023. India moved up to second place with a win over Afghanistan, which came days after their win over Cambodia, Hongkong closing on six points. Sunil Chhetri's brilliance helped India beat Afghanistan 2-1 in a tough Group D encounter in Kolkata on Saturday, June 11.
Dispute between the teams
After India's surprise win against Afghanistan in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifier at the VYBK Stadium in Kolkata, players from both the teams pushed and shoved each other into an ugly scene. Three Afghan players and two Indian players can be seen pushing and shoving in a video that circulated online before the brawl escalated. Gurpreet Singh, India's top goalkeeper, rushes to the game to put out the fire, but is surrounded by Afghanistan players who have gathered in large numbers. AFC officials rushed to the scene, but the dispute escalated.
Before the two classes of players were separated, punches were exchanged by pulling off shirts. The reason for the controversy that happened in the competition is unknown.
Match Review
India got a free kick outside the box in the 84th minute after Ashique Kuruniyan was dismissed. Sunil Chhetri once again came up with the game-winning goal. Sunil Chhetri took a step forward and swung the ball over the wall and into the net, delighting the visitors.
Those celebrations, however, were short-lived, as Afghanistan equalized in the 88th minute, when Zubair Amiri was found unmarked on a nearby post in a corner.
India did not give up without a fight. During stoppage time, the ball fell to Ashique after some pinball action on the edge of the box. He slid a brilliant through pass to Sahal Abdul Samad, who put the ball in the bottom left corner from a difficult angle to give India three points, and In the AFC Asian Cup Qualifier, India beat Afghanistan 2-1.
Players
India: Gurpreet, Jhingan, Mishra, Anwar, Roshan, Jeakson, Liston, Suresh, Manvir, Chhetri, Aashique.
Coach: Igor Stimac
Afghanistan: Faisal, David, Haroon, Milad, Sharif, Noor, Farshad(C), Mustafa, Faysal, Ahmad, Qamaruddin
Coach: Anoush Dastgir
