How did India fare in 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers?

India won their first game against Singapore in this campaign

India are set to begin their hopeful journey in attempting to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with the start of the qualification campaign during the November international break. The Blue Tigers will be taking on Kuwait and Qatar in their first two qualification clashes and will aim to start their campaign on a high note.

The Indian football team has been involved in all the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in the 21st century. They have had mixed results in the campaigns and here we’ll have a look at the Blue Tigers fared in the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers round.

Who did India face in the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers?

India were able to directly qualify for the second round of the AFC section of 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. As per FIFA’s rules, only four teams from the AFC confederation would be able to directly qualify for the edition in Germany in 2006.

The Blue Tigers weren’t exactly helped that much in the World Cup qualification Round 2 draw, as they got drawn with Japan, Oman and Singapore in a tough group. As per the rules for the groups, only the top team or winner of the group was able to qualify for the third round.

How India’s 2006 qualifying campaign go?

Despite the mammoth task in front of them, India started their 2006 World Cup qualifiers campaign in impressive fashion. They hosted Singapore in their first game at the Fatorda Stadium on 18 February 2004 and managed to clinch a narrow 1-0 win, thanks to an impressive 50th-minute strike from Renedy Singh.

However, Stephen Constantine’s side was quickly brought down to earth in their next qualifier against Oman just over a month later. The powerful Asian side started dominating and pulling their weight in the game from the get-go, with forward Amad Ali scoring the opener in the 12th minute. Renedy Singh brought some life back to his team by scoring the equalizer in the 18th minute.

However, Oman stepped on the gas after that surprising moment and ensured they never let India any authority over the game. Ahmed Mubarak and Mohammed Al-Hinai scored braces, powering their side to a big 5-1 win.

Things went from bad to worse for India when they travelled to Saitama to face a really strong Japan side in their first away game of the qualifiers.  The Japanese side totally outclassed them technically and tactically, running away with a huge 7-0 win to give a major boost to their goal difference.

To somewhat of their credit, Constantine’s side was able to produce a slightly better defensive display in the reverse fixture when they hosted Japan at home. They were able to keep them quiet for the majority of the first half before forward Takayuki Suzuki gave his side the lead just before the half-time break. However, India could not maintain their stubbornness in the second half and made errors, allowing Japan to score three more goals to go away with a 4-0 win.

India’s hopes of making it past the second round of qualifying were basically dashed with the loss to Japan, as they had no chance of winning the group anymore after that. Constantine’s side only had pride to play for in their last two games against Singapore and Oman.

However, the Blue Tigers ended up suffering a nasty loss to Singapore away from home as well. Two quick-fire goals from Indra Sahdan (73’) and Mohammed Amiri (76’) were enough to break the hearts of India and deal a crushing blow to the players.

India travelled to face Oman in their final game of the qualifiers and put in arguably their best performance. The Blue Tigers actually managed to keep a clean sheet against Oman, producing an excellent defensive display to hold them to a goalless draw. In doing so, India also secured a respectable third-place finish in their group to end their qualifiers journey.

The Blue Tigers will aim to do much better this time around. They definitely have a stronger defensive core and a more accomplished squad that can help Igor Stimac’s side put up a very strong fight in their qualification journey.

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