Spirited performance, Jhingan's heroics and other talking points from India's gritty performance in AFC Asian Cup opener

Australia tried to dominate this AFC Asian Cup tie but India made it very tough for them.

The 2023 AFC Asian Cup clash between India and Australia ended 2-0 in favour of the men from down under. The Group B curtain-raiser saw India put up a strong fight in the first half, but Australia came out all guns blazing in the second.

Australia kept on piling up the pressure on the Indian backline and eventually found the back of the net with Jackson Irvine’s opening goal following a mistake from Gurpreet Singh Sandhu in the 50th minute. Jordan Bos then added a second goal in the 73rd minute and wrapped up the game for his side.

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

4. India’s first-half performance 

The Blue Tigers exceeded everyone’s expectations and kept a clean-sheet in the first half. They absorbed everything that the Aussies threw at them. Be it corner-kicks or free-kicks, India had it covered every single time.

The players played with their hearts on the sleeves and gave everything that they had for the nation. India’s backline blocked seven shots and put in numerous last ditch tackles to deny Australia any chances in the opening 45 minutes.

3. Sandesh Jhingan’s heroics

Jhingan was undoubtedly India’s best player on the night. He was India’s brightest star on a dark evening in Qatar. The centre-back stood tall and fought like a warrior for the national team and showed everyone why he is India’s best.

Jhingan put his body on the line multiple times and even sustained a couple of serious knocks in the process. During the match, he pulled off nine big clearances, four crucial blocks and was very solid in winning his aerial duels.

2. Late substitutions

Igor Stimac has done a lot of things right for his team, but his mistimed substitutions have cost India heavily. He brought on Anirudh Thapa, Naorem Mahesh Singh and Akash Mishra very late into the game which did not give them much time to have an impact.

Mahesh, Thapa and Mishra are one of India’s finest players and can turn the game on its head on their day. They have the required quality and should have been brought on earlier. May be India wouldn’t have conceded the second goal and the result could’ve been different if these changes were made in time. 

1. India’s fighting spirit

Australia came into the game as clear favourites and were expected to win comfortably, but India had other plans. The Blue Tigers made sure that they put up an incredible display against one of the best sides in Asia.

They not only defended like warriors, but also tested Australia every time they had a chance. They did give Australia a tough time during the 90 minutes and did not let them have it easy. Despite the result, Igor Stimac and his boys can be proud of the way they fought and can build upon this going into the next match.

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