What happened when Indian football team last faced Afghanistan?

India will take on Afghanistan in the last group stage fixture of the CAFA Nations Cup 2025.

India will conclude the group stage in the CAFA Nations Cup 2025 on Thursday. They will lock horns with Afghanistan in the last group stage fixture.

The Blue Tigers will aim to cap off the group stage with a win. Khalid Jamil has impressed in the first two assignments as the national team head coach. The former India international would be aware of the pain that Afghanistan inflicted the last time they faced India.

The Blue Tigers have traditionally been a dominant force in this rivalry, but on a few occasions, the Afghans have fought back hard. Both sides will be meeting again after more than a year. In this article, we will recall what happened when India last faced Afghanistan.

Also Read: Afghanistan vs India: Head to head record

A must-win World Cup Qualifying fixture

India and Afghanistan last played against each other in the FIFA World Cup Qualifier clash in March 2024 which ended in a 2-1 loss for the Blue Tigers.

It was a crucial encounter with all-important three points on offer. India had just played Afghanistan four days earlier in an away fixture. After an arduous travel, the team reached Guwahati with little time to prepare for the match.

The Indian team started on the front foot, but Afghanistan were quick to match the tempo. It was clearly visible from the state of play that the two sides had just played a draw. It was a battle between two equally matched sides.

However, India got a chance to break the deadlock when Afghanistan committed a blunder, leading to a penalty for India. The then Indian skipper Sunil Chhetri did the expected on the penalty and converted it to give India the much-awaited lead. The score line at the end of the first half was tilted in India’s favour but they were still not the favourites.

Afghanistan’s victorious fightback

The second half was a story of a valiant comeback from Afghanistan. They were under the pump in the last ten minutes of the first half, but there was a clear shift in the mentality when they started the second half. The Afghans had more purpose to their game, aiming to hurt India.

The persistent pressure paid off for Afghanistan when Rahmat Akbari guided the ball home to equalize the score for his team in the 70th minute. This equalizer pushed the hosts on the backfoot and brought Afghanistan on the driving seat.

The visiting side continued to show intent without any inhibition of conceding a goal. In a poetic climax to the game, Afghanistan got their chance to put the nail in the coffin for India in the same manner they conceded the first goal. The hosts gave in to the pressure and conceded a penalty.

The experienced Sharif Mukhammad stepped up for Afghanistan and slotted the ball calmly to stun the crowd at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati. With that brilliantly taken penalty, Afghanistan completed the comeback and shattered India’s hopes of qualifying for the next round of FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.

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