FIFA International Friendly: UAE Vs India Live Commentary

Published at :March 30, 2021 at 1:09 AM

Modified at :March 30, 2021 at 5:46 AM

After a spirited draw against Oman last Thursday, the Blue Tigers return to the pitch once again to face UAE.

India were given an absolute humbling by a ruthless UAE side, who did not show any mercy and exposed all of their vulnerabilities. While the Blue Tigers' start was encouraging, they just could not match the intensity or tempo of the hosts and repeated errors from all around did not help. Al Mabkhout proved why he is one of the best players in UAE football history with an incredible performance with a hattrick and assist. Fabio Lima run rings around the defenders with his incredible vision, passing range and even got a deserving goal late on. The Indian players were visibly exhausted and were made to pay with a 4 goals in the last 30 minutes. More than anything else, this drubbing is a learning curve for the younger stars in the team. In the end, the inexperience and lack of International appearances within the team was there to see in the lethargic, error-prone performance. Igor Stimac has a lot to think about regarding his set-up and which players he'll call-up for the upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers. This was India's biggest loss under the Croatian and the Blue Tigers have only won 1 game in 12 under him. Stimac has to change a lot of things to improve that record & get anything from the World Cup qualifiers. This is Uttiyo Sarkar signing out for Khel Now. Till next time, Good Night Ladies & Gentlemen!

90+2' UAE stroll around possession and end a dominant performance with ease. They will be extremely pleased to get their first competitive win since 2019, while India have a lot to think about after this dismal performance.

90+1' Strong save from Gurpreet to deny Lima another one. The UAE midfielder whips in a strong freekick through onto the goal but Gurpreet dives strongly to his left to save it.

90' Ashique is booked for a rough challenge on Alzaabi. Meanwhile, 2 minuntes of added time is announced.

89' UAE are not letting up and moving the ball forward at a decent pace. They seem to be really enjoying themselves here and have dominated 73% of the possession so far!

87' Another swift move for UAE as a ball is sent into the box which Tagliabue moves into the middle, but a powerful shot is saved really well by a diving Gurpreet and parried away to Hassan - whose rebound goes over.

85' India finally get a shot on target but Manvir Singh's weak attempt from inside the area is easily saved by the UAE goalkeeper.

84' GOAL! Tagliabue scores! Lima outmuscles Ashique on the wing and easily moves into the box before cleverly finding the substitute who taps the ball into the net from yards out. 6-0!

83' UAE are able to move through the left wing too easily and the ball is squared to Hassan in the middle, but his shot from outside the area goes horribly wide.

80' Another change for India as Ashique Kuruniyan comes on for Akash, who has been run ragged by Bandar on the left flank.

79' Bandar again gets too much space to move forward on the right but his cross from the byline is collected well for Gurpreet to deny Tagliabeu a shot on goal.

77' UAE make a couple of changes more. Ali Mabkhout goes off for Majed Hassan and Sebastien Tagliabue comes on for Ramadan.

76' Another chance for UAE. Al Mabkhout plays the ball to Ramadan inside the box, but Mashoor makes a goal-saving block to deny them another goal.

72' India make another change as Hitesh Sharma comes on for Suresh. Stimac will have to hope his subs can get a grip on the game to not allow the hosts to make this even worse than it is already.

71' GOAL! Lima scores for UAE. India gives the ball away outside their own area after a miscommunication between Mashoor and Raynier and UAE pounce on that, with some swift passes finding Lima inside the box to allow him to get a goal with a smart finish from close. 5-0!

69' Lima and Al Mabkhout again try to link-up for a goal, but Adil does well to make a perfect sliding challenge to deny Lima the chance to go through for another goal.

68' Unlike the other day, the subs have made no impact whatsoever for India so far. The Blue Tigers look even more vulnerable in this half and seem to be holding on so as not to concede any more goals.

65' UAE make a couple of changes after that, with Khalfan Alshamsi and Khalil AlHammadi going of for Mohamed Al-Balooshi and Tahnoon Alzabi coming on.

64' GOAL! UAE make it 4-0! This time Al Mabkhout is the one to set-up the goal as he perfectly threads a through-ball past Mashoor to Khalil Alhammadi who makes no mistake slotting the ball strongly into the bottom corner.

63' Strong save again. Bandar is played through on goal and takes a shot on goal from an awkward angle inside the box which Gurpreet parries away.

62' India's defensive line have let them down today and it was again Mashoor who broke the offside trap to allow Mabkhout to get through into the box and score that goal. Adil also misjudged the cross completely and let it go through to the goal-scorer.

60' GOAL! Mabkhout completes his hattrick! The striker receives a perfect, defence-splitting cross inside the box and makes no mistakes from yards out, coolly flicking the ball into the back of the net past Gurpreet.

59' Strong save from Gurpreet! Bandar takes UAE's free kick from quite a long way out but his powerful attempt is parried away for a corner by Gurpreet.

58' India make a couple of substitutions. Raynier replaces Liston and Ishan Pandita comes on for Lalengmawia, who had a pretty decent game in midfield.

57' Some more frustrating attacking play from India. Narzary gets some space to move forward down the left and plays it to the onrushing Akash, whose cross goes horribly wide. Meanwhile, Raynier Fernandes looks set to come on as he's warming up down in the touchline.

54' The hosts with some dangerous link-up play again as Ali Mabkhout links up well with Lima inside the box, but the creative midfielder's dangerous pass into the box is cleared for a corner by Pritam. The corner is an accurate one and finds Lima for a free header, but his attempt goes wide.

52' UAE are dominating much of the possession in this half as well and moving the ball well through the middle. They receive a freekick after Yasir makes a poor challenge in midfield.

49' Yasir and Narzary created a lot of exciting stuff for Hyderabad FC in the ISL and being in the front-four for the national team now, they'll to replicate something similar to get the sparks flying in the attack for India.

48' UAE are not letting up even with a strong lead and launch another swift move down the right, with a promising ball being sent into a player inside the box but a key block is made by Mashoor to clear away danger.

46' The second half kicks off! UAE will be the one attacking from the left to right now.

9:36 PM: Two changes made by Stimac at half-time. Halicharan Narzary comes in for Chhangte and Yasir Mohammed comes in for Thapa.

HALF-TIME ANALYSIS: India started the game in real spirited fashion with an impressive high press style but that has ended up being their bane. UAE has dominated all of the possession and capitalized on India's high defensive line by constantly sending in dangerous long through balls and splitting passes. Ali Mabkhout isn't the kind of player to miss chances when handed to him and showed that with two composed finishes, while UAE's creator in chief Fabio Lima has run things in midfield. India's pressing has been encouraging but they've failed to capitalize on the transition into the attack, misplacing key passes and wasting some big chances. Igor Stimac has a lot to change to get a result here and will probably make a number of changes in the second half. We'll be back with second-half action soon. Stay tuned, folks!

45+2' CLOSE! Liston does really well to dribble past a few defenders and move diagonally into the middle before sending Manvir Singh through on goal, but the striker's stretched chipped attempt is saved. India's best chance is the final big moment of the first half.

45' UAE create a decent chance through the left as Mahmoud Khamis gets some space on the left and flings in a cross which Ali Mabkhout gets a touch on, but a strong block from Adil clears away danger. Meanwhile, 2 minutes of added time is announced.

42' Ramadan gets some space through on the left wing after a great long ball and passes it to Ali Mabkhout, whose shot from outside the box flies over the goal.

41' The Blue Tigers look focused on just controlling some of the possession before creating attacking chances. However, they're struggling to progress the ball forward because of UAE's stiff defensive shape.

39' India are finally able to stitch together on the attack as Akash Mishra bombs forward with the ball and plays it to Chhangte, whose cross is overhit and cleared away.

37' UAE are persistently moving through the right wing and Bandar Al Ahbabi sends in a thunderous cross from the byline, which Gurpreet holds onto strongly.

34' India have a mountain to climb to get anything out from this game now. The Blue Tigers are trying their best to stitch together attacking moves but Suresh Singh loses the ball around the half-way line and Adil tries to clear the ball away with a sliding tackle only for it to hit his hand and grant UAE a free-kick.

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32' GOAL! Ali Mabkhout slots the penalty into the bottom left-hand corner. Gurpreet tried his best to save it and even went the right way but the penalty was too powerful for him to save. 2-0!

30' Penalty to UAE! The hosts again create danger moving through the right and Fabio Lima gets a shot off from inside the box which hits Adil's hand, something the referee sees and points to the spot. Khan is also booked for it.

28' Thapa has covered a lot of ground today to press the UAE defenders and also get into some smart positions himself in the final third. Being frustrated by the lack of service today.

25' Ali Mabkhout is again played through on goal after Shereef gives the ball away and the UAE striker sees his shot go slightly wide of the goal, only to be deemed offside later on.

23' India doesn't seem to have their set-piece tactics set today. Another bizarre set-piece routine sees the free-kick taken short and a chipped attempt trying to send Kotal through the right, only for it to go miserably wrong and UAE regain a hold of possession.

22' Some more smart pressing from Thapa helps him earn the ball in the right wing but he is clobbered down, earning India a free-kick.

20' UAE have not let up even after scoring and turned up their intensity moving forward. India are struggling to get the ball into the final third and making too many mistakes to fluff up counter-attacking opportunities.

17' A swift move from UAE through the right wing causes trouble to the Indian defenders and the ball is sent in the middle to Ali Mabkhout, but Shereef makes a terrific tackle to dispossess him and clear the ball.

16' Thapa and Lallianzuala Chhangte square up for the free-kick but instead of taking a shot, the ball is squared wide to Pritam Kotal whose cross is blocked before he fouls a UAE player. Chance wasted!

15' India get a free-kick just outside the box! Some brilliant pressing from the Indian stars force UAE to give away possession outside the box and Liston Colaco is brought down just outside the area.

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14' Just like in the Oman game, India have gone behind in this game. Some questionable defending from Mashoor there to play Mabkhout through to score his goal. Now The Blue Tigers must show their spirit to put pressure on the hosts.

12' GOAL! UAE takes the lead! Ali Mabkhout is sent through on goal with a brilliant through ball from Fabio Lima and the UAE no.7 coolly chips the ball over an onrushing Gurpreet to put the ball into the back of the net. 1-0!

9' Thapa seems to be playing in a No.10 role today and is doing a lot of shouting to encourage his teammates to press forward and keep the hosts at bay.

7' It's been a cagey start to the game with the UAE players still adapting to the conditions. But Mashoor decides to bring some spark into it after losing the ball and clattering into Abdalla Ramadan Bekheet with a reckless sliding challenge. He gets a yellow card for it.

4' Bit of a bizarre moment for Gurpreet there as lack of communication with Mashoor sees him fail to hold onto a cross and Adil Khan has to bail him out with a clearance.

3' The Blue Tigers are pressing high up at the start of the game and have not allowed UAE to come out of their half properly. The hosts are being forced to play among themselves in their own half.

1' KICKOFF! The Blue tigers start the game and will be attacking from the left to right.

8:25 PM: Both set of players are now slowly making their way onto the pitch here at the Zabeel Stadium. They will partake in all the pre-match activities including the national anthems and coin toss before we kick things off. Kick-off in a few minutes, folks!

8:20 PM: The teams have now gone into the dressing room and will come out in a few minutes ahead of kick-off. It's 23°C in Dubai right now so should be a relatively comfortable day for a game of football.

8:15 PM: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu will definitely be a busy man today because of the attacking might which the UAE possesses. After watching Amrinder Singh impress against Oman, the pressure will be on him to come up big and gain a valuable clean sheet from this one.

8:10 PM: A big game today for the debuting Liston as well. He was extremely impressive for Hyderabad FC in the ISL but is a direct replacement for Bipin Singh - who assisted the goal in the last game. A lot will be relying on Liston in the attacking third and he definitely needs to improve his decision-making to create some big chances for the Blue Tigers.

8:05 PM: The Blue Tigers are currently on the pitch undergoing their pre-match warm-up training ahead of the game. The players look really focused for this one and training with utmost vigor as they aim to do one better with a win today after the Oman result.

8:00 PM: It will be a colossal challenge for Mashoor Shereef today to come up against the likes of Ali Mabkhout and Bandar Al Ahbabi. Having put in some commendable performances for NorthEast United in the last ISL season, this is a stepping stone for his ambitions of being a national team regular. Adil Khan also has a big job on his hands to be the defensive leader in the absence of Sandesh Jhingan.

7:55 PM: Stimac will be hopeful that India can pick up from where they left off against Oman after an encouraging second-half performance in that one. This UAE team has only played 1 game - a 0-0 draw to Iraq - this year going into the game against India so there might be shades of rustiness in their play as well.

7:50 PM: India have a pretty disappointing record against UAE, having lost 3 out of their last 4 meetings. The last one was in the AFC Asian Cup when the Blue Tigers went down to a 0-2 loss.

7:45 PM: India are seemingly going back with the 4-3-3 formation which worked pretty well against Oman. A lot of changes means there should be a slight tweak to the system and Anirudh Thapa should get more freedom as the attacking midfielder in this one.

7:40 PM: UAE XI: Al Khaseif, Walid Albalooshi, Almaazmi, Ali Hassan, Al Mabkhout De Lima, Alhammadi, Bekheet, Alshamsi, Mahmoud Al Hammmadi, Al Ahbabi

7:35pm Team News is in! India XI: Gurpreet, Kotal, Shereef, Adil, Mishra, Lalengmawia, Suresh, Thapa, Chhangte, Colaco, Manvir

Igor Stimac decides to change up his team once again and makes 8 changes from the Oman game! Liston Colaco gets his Indian national team debut, while Apuia and Shereef get their first starts.

7:30pm After a spirited draw against Oman last Thursday, the Indian Football Team are back on the pitch tonight. This time, the Blue Tigers are facing hosts UAE at the Zabeel Stadium in Dubai. Follow UAE Vs India live with us.

Needless to say, UAE or 'Al-Abyad' as they are called are the stronger side on paper. But the Indian team under Igor Stimac have already proved that they are capable of performing well. As mentioned already, the Blue Tigers faced Oman last Thursday and managed to force a draw. It was Oman who took the lead in the first half through Chinglensana Singh's own goal. Later in the second half, Manvir Singh pulled one back for the visitors and that was also the final goal in the game.

UAE are currently at 74th place in the FIFA Rankings while India are at 104th. Regardless, fans of this Indian football team will be hoping that their favourite side return with a positive result tonight

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UAE Football Team		Indian Football Team
	6-0
12', 32', 60' Ali Mabkhout64' Al Hammadi71' Lima84' Tagliabue