AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers Live Commentary: India vs Kyrgyzstan

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9:00 PM: Hello everyone and welcome to Khel Now's LIVE COVERAGE of India vs Kyrgyzstan in AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers. India are in Group E with Oman, UAE and Kyrgyzstan. Igor Stimac's side began their campaign against Oman on Sunday, beating them 2-1 before losing narrowly to UAE.

I am your host Waseem Zaidi, and I will keep you company through what promises a fascinating evening of football.

India vs Kyrgyzstan: Build Up

In their last four AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualification attempts, India failed to make the cut. This time however, they have a real opportunity to enter the tournament.

With UAE winning against Oman in their final game of Group E, India have to beat Kyrgyzstan and hope they are among the four best second-placed teams in the qualifiers.

India probably have a 10-20% chance of progression if they draw against Kyrgyzstan. That’s not the odds Igor Stimac will fancy. The Blue Tigers have to go for the win and perform like they did against Oman U-23. They have to be defensively flawless and ruthless on the counter-attack to drown the hard-working Kyrgyzstan U-23 side and attain their first-ever qualification into the AFC U-23 Asian Cup.

Indian football has taken commendable strides forward when it comes to developing youth football over the years. But, if there’s no real end product, all the work will go to vain. Qualifying for a prominent competition like the AFC U-23 Asian Cup is vital to proving that the country has a bright young core.

“We are treating the match against Kyrgyzstan as any other game,” India head coach Igor Stimac averred prior to India U-23’s crucial encounter against Kyrgyz Republic in the qualifiers for the AFC U23 Asian Cup.

India U23 are currently on three points from two matches, and a win against Kyrgyzstan will brighten their chances of qualifying for the AFC U-23 Asian Cup scheduled to be held in Uzbekistan in 2022.

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