Football: Stinging Setbacks As India and Pakistan Suffer Elimination from the AFC Asian Cup
Inside Khalid Jamal's managerial profile
After the sacking of Manolo Marquez as Indian head coach due to a series of unpleasant results that saw the Spaniard manage just one win in eight games, the board decided to look towards the direction of Khalid Jamal.
Jamal was appointed in August by the All India Football Federation, making him the first Indian head coach to manage a senior national team for the first time in 13 years.
The 48-year-old has yet to make a significant impact in his last six matches in charge. The only positive that came out of that run was a third-place finish in the CAFA Nations Cup when they defeated Oman 3-2 on penalties.
He had one goal: to lead the nation to greener pastures, but none of that has happened, especially after the team's elimination from the AFC Asian Cup.
Check out Khalid Jamal's stats as India's head coach:
- Matches in charge: 6
- Wins: 1
- Draws: 3
- Losses: 2
India crashes out of the AFC Asian Cup
India had one simple job to do against Singapore on Tuesday, on matchday four of the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. Lallianzuala Chhangte opened the scoring for his side in the first 14 minutes. Defending that one-goal lead was the main priority, but with a weak defense and a lack of cutting edge in the final third, that was far from possible.
Ui-Young Song from the opposing team had no time to show empathy for his victims as he bagged a brace to condemn India to a 2-1 defeat at home.
That match was their only opportunity to keep their slim hopes of qualification in the AFC Asian Cup alive.
Let's take a look at how they fared in Group C after the setback:
| Position | Club | Matches Played | Wins | Draws | Lossess | Goals Fired | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Hong Kong | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 8 |
| 2. | Singapore | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 8 |
| 3. | Bangladesh | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 7 | -2 | 2 |
| 4. | India | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 2 |
As we can see from the table above, the Blue Tigers have managed just two points in four games and are six points behind the top spot.
Remaining fixtures in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers:
- Bangladesh vs India - 18 November 2025
- India vs Hong Kong - 31 March 2026
How Pakistan have fared in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers
Pakistan, a neighbour of India, are also not going to be part of the AFC Asian Cup 2027, which will be held in Saudi Arabia. Syria has already claimed the top spot in Group E of the qualifiers.
Eight teams have yet to register a win in this competition, and unfortunately, Nolberto Solano's men fall under this bracket after recording two draws and two losses in four games.
The Falcons have shown no creativity in the final third. Considering they've failed to score in three AFC Asian Cup qualifier games goes to show that this has been the root cause of their demise throughout the competition.
In fact, the visitors head here winless in their last ten matches across all competitions, recording eight losses and two draws. Their recent match in the qualifiers was an impressive 1-1 away draw against Afghanistan in the qualifiers.
Remaining fixtures in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers:
- Pakistan vs Syria - 18 November 2025
- Pakistan vs Myanmar - 31 March 2026
