Sunil Chhetri's wasted opportunity; India crash out of Asian Cup with third straight defeat

DOHA: India exited out of the crucial AFC Asian Cup football tournament after losing to Syria on Tuesday. In a must-win match against Syria, the men in blue were inferior in possession and wasted few opportunities that might have changed the scoreboard completely. This was India’s third consecutive defeat in the tournament.

After a goalless draw in the first half, India conceded a goal in the 76th minute of the match. Omar Khribin netted for Syria in the 76th minute. If there was something for Indian fans to cheer about, It would be undoubtedly the defence, which was resolute and had a decent game today. Sandesh Jhingan was a bulwark in today's match and held the fort for some time until the Syria attackers crashed in.

Indian captain Sunil Chhetri wasted a golden opportunity to score in the first half of the match. There was another chance just before the end of the first half but the Indian skipper failed to convert it.

Earlier in Group B, India lost 2-0 to Australia and 3-0 to Uzbekistan. India haven’t scored any goal in the tournament so far.