Football: Rahim Ali Salvages Point for India in AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifier Against Singapore
Ali saves Blue Tigers’ blushes against the Lions
Khalid Jamil continued his positive start to life as the head coach of the Indian national football team by leading his side to a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Singapore in their AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifier match on Thursday afternoon.
Both sides began the match at the Singapore National Stadium tetchily, but once the home side settled, they took control of proceedings and created by far the better chances during the opening half-hour of the contest.
Despite an impressive start by Indian shot-stopper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, the Lions were rewarded for their pressure on the stroke of halftime, with Ikhsan Fandi breaking the deadlock after a neat piece of interplay with Shawal Anuar.
India’s afternoon got even worse just two minutes into the second period, when FC Goa defender Sandesh Jhingan was sent off for a second bookable offence, leaving his side to see out the remainder of the match a man light.
Following Jhingan’s dismissal, Jamil was forced into making changes to steady the ship, with Farukh Choudhary being withdrawn for Hmingthanmawia Ralte. However, the big change came at the 79th minute when Jamil brought on Rahim Ali for Sunil Chhetri.
The Odisha forward brought a much-needed injection of pace into the team, and his pressure in the dying moments forced Izwan Mahbud into a mistake, which he converted in the final minute of the 90 to earn his side a 1-1 draw with what was his first goal for the national team.
Asia Cup 2027 Qualifiers Group C standings
Ali’s goal earned India a share of the spoils and kept them in the running to secure qualification for the 2027 Asia Cup. India now sits in third place with two points after three games, while Singapore are top of the table with five points.
The Blue Tigers now face a must-win situation in their next match against the Lions, which is scheduled for Tuesday, October 14, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa, and will be available to follow live via our football livescore tool.
Following the clash in Goa, India will conclude their Asia Cup qualifiers with a trip to Dhaka to face Bangladesh during the November international break, while their final match of the competition will be played at home against Hong Kong in March next year.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Singapore | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| 2 | Hong Kong | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 3 | India | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 2 |
| 4 | Bangladesh | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 1 |
