Indian Football Team Rival Watch: Singapore & Bangladesh claim narrow wins; Hong Kong playout draw against Nepal

An AFC Asian Cup 2027 spot is at stake for the Indian football team

Indian Football Team have been drawn alongside Bangladesh, Hong Kong and Singapore after failing to finish in the top 2 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers.

Group C of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers stands at a unique junction as all four teams find themselves in a similar situation after the first matchweek. India and Bangladesh played a goalless draw against each other, whereas the tie between Hong Kong and Singapore yielded the same result.

As things spice up ahead of the upcoming matches of the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, let’s take a close look at how Indian Football Team’s opponents have fared in their friendly encounters to ply their trade against each other in the next round.

Hong Kong settles for a 0-0 draw against 175th-placed Nepal

Ashley Westwood’s Hong Kong played a goalless draw against 175th-placed Nepal in a fierce encounter. Despite a valiant display of football from the home side, they failed to put the ball in the back of the net and get the better of the impregnable Nepalese defence, who have been in sublime form in the last couple of matches.

The English gaffer was greeted with utmost hostility from the home fans. Many questioned his tactics, his player selections and other factors that have badly affected Hong Kong’s performance. His decision to exclude Lau Chi-lok from the national team did not yield any positive results as the attacking unit looked completely off-colour against the Nepali team.

Talking about Hong Kong’s recent form, their last victory came against Macau around three months ago. In their opening AFC Asian Cup Qualifier fixture against Singapore, they settled for yet another goalless draw, making the upcoming tie against the Indian Football Team a crucial one for the Dragons.

Hamza’s debut goal helps Bangladesh edge past Bhutan 2-0

Bangladesh claimed a hard-fought 2-0 win over Bhutan in a FIFA friendly. The Bangla tigers did not disappoint as they went on to put the ball behind the nets twice.

Premier League player Hamza Choudhary also scored on his home debut to help the Bangladesh team secure a crucial victory. This win will serve as a major mental boost for the team ahead of their all-important clash against Singapore next. Earlier, Bangladesh managed to hold the Indian Football Team to a goalless draw in their first AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifier match.

Singapore thrash Maldives 3-1 ahead of Bangladesh challenge

The 161st-placed Singapore team thrashed the Maldives 3-1 ahead of an important match against Bangladesh. This victory not only ended their six-match winless streak but will also serve as a major boost for the upcoming match.

Goals from Amirul Adli and Ikhsan Fandi were enough to help Singapore seal the fate of the game. A late penalty goal from Ahmed Rizuvan was nothing less than a consolation goal for the Maldives.

India’s preparations ahead of the Hong Kong clash

After the Indian Football Team failed to capitalise on the home advantage against Bangladesh in the opening AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers, they had to settle for a solitary point. The points table has nothing to separate the two teams, and the upcoming match against Hong Kong offers a golden opportunity for Manolo Marquez’s side to take a decisive lead and put their strong foot forward to bolster their ambitions to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers. However, following 2-0 defeat against Thailand in the friendly encounter Indian Football Team seem to be a topsy-turvy situation and will need to regroup and focus.

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