Indian football team to play friendlies against Singapore, Vietnam

Both the matches will be played on September 24 and 27, respectively.

The Senior Men's Indian Football Team will be back in action in September, when they play two International Friendlies against Singapore and Vietnam.

The Blue Tigers will travel to Vietnam on September 22, 2022, and subsequently play Singapore on September 24, and the hosts on September 27, before making the return journey back to India on September 28.

India are currently placed 104th on the FIFA Men's World Rankings, while their two opponents are placed at 97th (Vietnam) and 159th (Singapore).

Having qualified for the AFC Asian Cup 2023 almost two months back, India, coached by former Croatia international Igor Stimac, will be looking to prepare for the apex continental tournament next year. Speaking on the two matches ahead, Stimac said, “We are happy about the upcoming challenges, and we’re looking forward to maintaining the quality of performances that we have recently dished out.”

The coach further mentioned that efforts are being made to provide the Blue Tigers with a substantial preparatory camp, while he also remains hopeful for a practice match against Kerala Blasters ahead of their departure to Vietnam.

India's FIFA Friendlies in September:

September 24: India vs Singapore

September 27: Vietnam vs India

India's performance in AFC Asian Cup Third Round Qualifiers

India played, perhaps for the first time under Igor Stimac, some sensation football in the AFC Asian Cup third round Qualifiers. Grouped with Cambodia, Hong Kong and Afghanistan, India seemed to be the favourites to qualify for the event. The first match saw the Indian football team defeat Cambodia by a score-line of 2-0. Skipper Sunil Chhetri scored both the goals in two different halves to seal the victory for the Blue Tigers. In the following encounter, India locked horns with Afghanistan.

The first goal of the match came again from the skipper on the 86th minute. However, the lead didn't last long as Afghanistan equalised after two minutes. In the dying moments of the game, Sahal Abdul Samad bagged scored the winning goal to bag all three points for the nation. The ultimate match remained witness to India fully dominating Hong Kong. Anwar Ali got his name in the scorecard within two minutes of the start. The match ended 4-0 in favour of the Blue Tigers and the Salt Lake Stadium remained witnessed to four different goal scorers.