Even after churning out a 2-1 win over Oman in their inaugural match of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers, India had their feet firmly rooted to the ground. Coach Igor Stimac rightly mentioned before the match that UAE were technically superior to Oman and his troops will give utmost respect to the opposition.
The Whites were the dominant force throughout the 90 minutes and they deservedly walked away with the three points. However, there were plenty of positives to take away from the match for India as well. They remained disciplined, dogged, and determined not to concede and were on the brink of accomplishing the mission until that ill-fated moment where they gave away the late penalty.
Let us look at the three things that stood out in the loss against UAE.
A near-perfect outing for Dheeraj Singh!
The Indian goalkeeper once again proved his pedigree as he made a couple of saves that restricted the scoreline to just 1-0. His first significant contribution came after the half-hour mark when he not only timed his advance to perfection but also made himself wide enough to narrow down Rashed Salem's angle in a one-on-one situation. Throughout the match, he was seen communicating with his backline to plug any space. In the 74th minute, he made another save with his outstretched palm to further frustrate UAE. He made five saves, an equal number of clearances, and six collections in the match which highlights the rich vein of form he was in.
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The turning point: Taking off Vikram Pratap Singh
Although many might consider Suresh's foul inside the box which gave UAE the penalty as the pivotal moment of the match, it was Vikram Pratap's substitution around the hour-mark that tilted the game in UAE's favour. There was a distinct change in approach and the fearless mentality, which was praiseworthy, suddenly took a backseat.
The winger was in the thick of things in attack for India and once he was replaced by Sumit Rathi to further reinforce the defence, UAE started to grow even more in the match. They got the opportunity to tighten the noose and they did that to perfection. The Indian defence kept absorbing pressure until they were pushed to the limit where they committed a mistake. With a few minutes to go Stimac brought on Aniket Jadhav and Rohit Danu to salvage at least a point but the move was too little too late.
Lots of positives to take away
Although the Indian team was restricted to their own half right from the first whistle, they did not take refuge in a defensive cocoon which has been commonplace whenever they have locked horns against a technically superior side. This was reflected against Oman in the first match and it continued in the same vein against UAE, at least for the first 60 minutes of the match. With Suresh Singh in an advanced position, the blue colts were pressing high and took every opportunity to hit on the break utilizing the pace of Rahul KP and Vikram Pratap Singh on either flank. In fact, Rahul nudged one home just before halftime but the goal was ruled out as Rahim Ali who had a prior touch was deemed to be in an offside position. At the same time, they never threw caution into the wind and quickly regrouped while chasing the ball.
The Indian team will be taking the field once again on Saturday to participate in the decider against Kyrgyzstan and it would not be surprising if they take the game to their opponents. They showed against Oman that they can be lethal while counter attacking and against UAE they refused to throw in the towel. History is lurking and now it remains to be seen whether Stimac's troops can grab the opportunity by the scruff of the neck.
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