Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: India’s hopes of reaching the AFC Asian Cup 2027 came to an end after a 1-2 defeat to Singapore at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa on Tuesday. Despite dominating large phases of the game, the Blue Tigers once again fell short in converting their chances.
India began brightly under coach Khalid Jamil, pressing high and moving the ball with confidence. Lallianzuala Chhangte opened the scoring in the 14th minute with a stunning long-range strike that left the Singapore goalkeeper rooted. The home side continued to create chances through Liston Colaco and Naorem Mahesh Singh, but both missed opportunities to extend the lead. Colaco’s effort in the 29th minute was cleared off the line, while Mahesh’s close-range attempt went straight to the keeper after being set up by Sunil Chhetri.
The missed chances proved costly as Singapore found the equaliser just before halftime. Song Uiyong capitalised on a defensive lapse to slot home a composed finish into the bottom corner, making it 1-1 at the break.
The visitors grew in confidence after the restart, while India’s attacking rhythm faded. Singapore’s pressure paid off in the 58th minute when Song struck again. A slick exchange between Ikhsan Fandi, Anuar, and Song opened up space inside the box, and the midfielder calmly beat Gurpreet Singh Sandhu at the near post to complete his brace.
Jamil introduced fresh legs, bringing on Farukh Choudhary, Sahal Abdul Samad, Rahim Ali, and Udanta Singh in an attempt to spark a comeback. India pushed hard in the closing stages, with Sahal and Brandon Fernandes both testing the opposition defence, but Singapore held firm to secure all three points.
Earlier in the day, Bangladesh held Hong Kong, China to a 1-1 draw, briefly keeping India’s hopes alive. However, the loss to Singapore sealed their exit from the qualification race, leaving the Blue Tigers disappointed after another campaign marked by missed opportunities.
