Asian Games Football: Three talking points as India qualify for RO16

India will take on Saudi Arabia in the Asian Games' Round of 16.

The Blue Tigers are done with their group stage fixtures as their final group game against Myanmar ended in a draw. With this draw, India are now through to the next round and will face Saudi Arabia up next.

Igor Stimac’s side took the lead early in the first half with Sunil Chhetri converting a penalty before Myanmar equalised late in the game. Both sides finish their group stage fixtures with four points each, but India finish as the runners up of Group A due to a better goal difference.

On that note, let us take a look at the talking points from the game.

3. Myanmar’s fighting spirit

Myanmar went into the game as underdogs and were second favorites behind India. They came into this game on the back of a demoralizing 4-0 defeat to hosts China, but they did not let that result affect their performance today.

They looked hungry and showed no signs of giving up. India scored early, but Myanmar did not stop believing and kept on pushing for an equalizer. And at the end, they managed to get it right and scored their second goal at the 2023 Asian Games. Kudos to their fighting spirit.

2. India switching off after taking the lead

The Blue Tigers went into the game as clear favorites, thanks to their better head-to-head record and a superior FIFA ranking. But, they just seemed to have turned off after taking the lead. 

India sat back and tried to defend more which did seem like a good plan before Myanmar equalised. India should’ve certainly taken all three points from this game, but they just failed to do so. It actually seemed that they were happy with a draw and did not go for the win.

1. Lack of finishing from India

Igor Stimac’s side took an early lead in the first half, but failed to build upon it. The Blue Tigers created a decent number of chances before Myanmar scored, but they just couldn’t find the back of the net after scoring first.

A couple of players like Gurkirat Singh and Rahim Ali failed to convert in 1v1 situations followed by a series of such events. India’s lack of intent of scoring the second goal came back to haunt them after Myanmar equalised and it was too late until then.