Having beaten Afghanistan and Cambodia, India and Hong Kong are tied on six points, with the latter on top owing to a better goal difference, going into the last game of the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on Tuesday.
A win will secure either team the top spot in Group D and a place in the Asian Cup, while a draw or a second-place finish will mean they have to rely on outcomes in other parts of the continent to seal qualification.
India are trying to qualify for successive AFC Asia Cups for the first time ever, having done so in 2019, with their previous appearances coming in 2011, 1984 and 1964.
If the results of past meetings are anything to go by, India have a slight advantage, having won 7 of the 15 clashes and Hong Kong managing to win four. In the last two meetings though, India have not emerged as winners against Hong Kong, losing 1-2 in 2009 and 0-1 in 2010.
Ahead of the final group-stage match of qualification, Indian men’s football team head coach Igor Stimac pointed out the threat that Hong Kong possesses.
“We need to complement Hong Kong for what they’ve shown in their first two games and deservedly they’re leading the group at the moment because they have a better goal difference. They are a well organised, disciplined side with enough quality to defend as well as attack, but we’ve studied their strengths and weaknesses, and we know what we need to do to win this game,” Stimac said at the pr-match press conference.
“Of course, this game is equally important as the previous two games, there is less pressure obviously but not less hunger and motivation for us to go out, start from the very first minute as we did against Afghanistan and do everything to win this game,” he added.
Igor Stimac also revealed that he has a ‘pleasant and wonderful’ headache ahead of the game with regards to team selection, given the likes of Pritam Kotal, Subhasish Bose, Anirudh Thapa, SahalAbdul Samad, Mohammed Yasir and Ishan Pandita, who have not got considerable playing time.
“We will train and then decide who is to be rested and who will start against Hong Kong. But whom do you pick and who do you leave out? This is my main worry, and I love this worry. I love this kind of headache you know – it’s a pleasant one, a wonderful one.”
Indian talisman Sunil Chhetri, who has already scored three important goals in the first two matches, said that finish the tournament on a ‘positive note’.
“There is a big prize at the end which is qualification to the Asian Cup. Even though we have done good in the last two games, we have not achieved anything yet. What we have learnt is to keep everything aside. We just have to focus on the next game, and end the tournament on a positive note,” Chhetri said.
Opening up on the significance of the clash against Hong Kong Chhetri said; “It’s very, very special because we want to win this tournament. And we want to go to the Asian Cup. We were there at Asia Cup the last time and we know the feeling to rub shoulders with the best in Asia is what we want to do. So that’s the plan. And that is why this tournament is very, very special for us.”
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