Ratings: Anwar Ali, Sahal Abdul Samad shine as India loose shootouts in King's Cup semi-final

Unlucky India lost to Iraq despite leading twice in the game

India went down fighting to Iraq in a 2-2 (5-4) in the semi-finals of the King’s Cup on Thursday, 7 September. The Blue Tigers started the game impressively and shocked the Lions of Mesopotamia, with Naorem Mahesh Singh finishing off a brilliant move to make it 1-0 in the 16th minute.

However, Iraq bit back with Ali Karim’s penalty in the 28th minute. India refused to back away and re-took the lead again in the 51st minute through a ridiculous own goal from goalkeeper Jalal Hachim. Iraq, although, won another penalty that was slotted away by Ghadhban in the 80th minute.

With neither side able to oust each other, the game was moved to a penalty shootout, where Brandon Fernandes’ penalty hit the bar and all the Iraq players scored their efforts to move onto the final of the King’s Cup. Here are the Player Ratings from the game.

Iraq Player Ratings (By Gourav Samal)

Jalal Hasan - 5.5

Hasan was too sloppy while grabbing the ball that led to the second goal for India in the 51st minute.

Rebin Solaka - 6.5

Solaka proved to be a valuable asset to Hussein, providing assistance in the defensive line. Also  demonstrated impeccable timing in making crucial clearances when necessary.

Hussein Hussein - 6.5

Hussein initially struggled in his performance, resulting in the first goal of the match scored by India. However, he demonstrated resilience and strategically adapted his playing style, ultimately showcasing his strengths in the latter part of the game.

Hussein Jasim - 5.5

Jasim was not up to mark at keeping the possession and was also too bad with short passes at times.

Ibrahim Kamil - 6

Kamil attempted to create two unconventional opportunities for scoring, yet was unable to convert them into goals.

Ali Karim - 7

Karim dropped into some interesting areas in and around the box and won a corner for them. Also scored the first equalizer with the penalty.

Bashar Bonyan - 6.5

Bashar was good at corner kicks, also created a good chance of assisting a goal from the same point. Got an opportunity to score a goal in the 72nd minute but couldn’t capitalize on it.

Amir Aboud - 5.5

Amir predominantly relied on long passes, which unfortunately did not yield successful outcomes for him. It might have been more advantageous for him to employ shorter passes, as they have proven to be more effective in similar situations.

Frans Jirjis - 5

Jirjis was not frequently observed in possession of the ball, however, he displayed proficiency in executing clearances and maintaining a composed presence within his designated defensive territory in order to neutralize the Indian attackers.

Osama Shafeeq - 5.5

In the 64th minute, the player made a decision to attempt a long pass instead of opting for a more effective short pass, which could have contributed positively to the game's progression and the creation of scoring opportunities.

Merchas Salih - 5.5

The first player from the Iraq team to receive a yellow card, also demonstrated excellent initiative in creating a promising scoring opportunity during the course of the match.

Substitues

Amin Alhamawi - 5.5

Amin Showed some good dribbling skills but was not effective in holding the ball for a long time.

Ali Kadhim - 5

Kadhim entered the field with 20+ minutes in hand for the final whistle. He was rarely seen holding the possession but made some quick clearances.

Andre Said - 5

Said also entered with 20+ minutes in hand. Made some nice short passes but was not effective with longer ones.

Aymen Ghadhban - 6.5

Ghadhban scored the second equalizer with a penalty in the 80th minute. The replacement player brought a renewed vigor to the team, attempting to capitalize on well-executed passes. However, the desired outcome of securing another goal was regrettably not achieved.

Zidane Iqbal - 6

Zidane was seldom observed executing impactful maneuvers, and he also incurred the consequence of a red card due to a foul committed in the final moments of play.

https://youtu.be/o-7zT9Wb6Pk

India Player Ratings (by Uttiyo Sarkar)

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu – 5.0

Extremely unlucky with the penalties, as he dove the right way in both occasions but beaten by the pace. Apart from that, he was reassuring, with some nice saves and dealing well physically. Failed to save a single penalty in the shootout.

Nikhil Poojary – 6.0

Poojary did a pretty nice job in neutralizing Iraq’s move through his side and restricting their flow. But lost his concentration for a bit in conceding that second penalty.

Anwar Ali – 9.5

Ali turned into prime Carlos Puyol on the day and had a ‘you shall not pass’ attitude all game long. He made an uncountable number of key clearances, blocks and tackles to infuriate the Iraqi forwards. Unbreakable and totally dominant at the back, coming up clutch time and again. His solid penalty capped off a remarkable performance.

Sandesh Jhingan – 5.0

Jhingan failed to maintain the same kind of intensity as his defensive partner. Made a number of clearances, but at fault for both penalties – with a handball and a silly error for the second. Took a solid penalty, though.

Akash Mishra – 8.0

Mishra was really solid on the left, working hard to cut down Iraq’s movement through his side. Apart from his impressive defensive work, he was impressive going forward and made a lung-bursting run before forcing the second goal.

Jeakson Singh – 7.5

Jeakson sat just ahead of the backline and was really smart with his work. Worked hard to cut out Iraq’s flow with necessary challenges, but also moved the ball forward smoothly in the transitions – especially making a great pass in the build-up for the second.

Anirudh Thapa – 7.0

Thapa played in a quite deep role again, as he has been doing at club level, and did well with intercepting a number of Iraq’s passes into the final third. Moved the ball along well, but not that creative with his passes.

Sahal Abdul Samad – 9.0

Sahal worked his magic inside the Iraq half with his intricate passes and superbly set up the opener with a wonderful pass through the backline. Was a thorn at Iraq’s side with his incisive forward passes and got into the key areas to cause havoc on multiple occasions. Proved his ability against top-level opponents.

Ashique Kuruniyan – 7.0

Ashique was a hard-working figure for Stimac’s side, covering a lot of ground and helping his backline with admirable defensive work. Ran himself to the ground and was taken off before the hour-mark due to a slight knock.

Naorem Mahesh Singh – 8.5

Mahesh Singh was a menacing figure with his clever movement and often ventured out of his right-wing role to expand his side’s attacking threat. Brilliantly moved past the defenders to score past the goalkeeper to put his side in the lead. A tenacious figure on the pitch and kept defenders on edge with his smart work.

Manvir Singh – 6.0

Manvir was often lonely up front and did a decent job in keeping up physically, making the Iraq defenders work hard. Dropped deep to build-up some moves, especially the one leading to the own goal.

Subs

Rahim Ali – 5.5

Ali did well in holding up the ball and helping with defensive contribution after coming on, but didn’t do much to test the keeper. Took a nice penalty.

Rahul KP – 6.0

Rahul was energetic on the right after coming on, making some nice runs.

Suresh Singh – 6.5

Suresh helped add more steel to the midfield after coming on, winning the ball a few times and moving it forward nicely. Converted a pressure penalty nicely.

Rohit Kumar – 6.0

Kumar added a blitz of energy and defensive sturdiness, helping his win duels in their half and driving them forward.

Brandon Fernandes – 5.0

Brandon wasn’t really able to create much after coming on, despite trying his best with some forward passes. Missed the first penalty in the shootout.

Mehtab Singh – N/R

Singh helped India see off the late threat with an efficient cameo.