India fall to Tajikistan in international friendly
The Blue Tigers are now on a three-match losing streak
The Indian national football team succumbed to a 3-1 defeat against Tajikistan in an international friendly at the TALCO Arena on Friday (5th June).
Sheriddin Boboev, Mekhrubon Karimov, and Panshanbe were on the scoresheet for the home side, while Farukh Choudhary scored the solitary goal for India in the 89th minute with a freekick.
Early penalty proved costly for India
The Tajikistan football team took the lead in the 9th minute of the game from the spot kick. Sheriddin Boboev slotted home with a well-converted penalty kick to put the home side ahead in the game.
The visitors looked for a quick reply, with Lallianzuala Chhangte finding Edmund Lalrindika in the middle, but it was intercepted well by the home side.
The Tajikistan side continued to dominate the possession, maintaining the shape with precise passing. In the 17th minute, Boboev had a chance to double the lead as he found himself in front of the goal. However, the forward was flagged offside.
India had very few chances in this phase but couldn’t convert those half chances.
Rahul Bheke’s long throw-in came into play in the 24th minute as it found Jeakson Singh inside the box but was comfortably cleared by the Tajikistan defense line.
Khalid Jamil’s men got their first real chance of the game in the 39th minute when Akash Mishra delivered an inch-perfect cross from the left flank that was perfectly timed by Edmund Lalrindika, but the forward’s attempt was denied by the crossbar.
Two minutes later, it was Mishra again with his delightful cross from the left flank, but this time it found Chhangte, whose effort went straight to the Tajikistan goalkeeper.
With that, India went on to the half time break with a goal down.
Tajikistan dominated the second half to seal a comfortable victory
The home side kicked off the second half from where they left. Alisher found Tabrez on the right, who played a close-range cross for Boboev, who made a quick entry inside the box in search of his second, but Gurpreet Singh Sandhu stood tall to deny his headed attempt.
Tajikistan doubled their lead in the 62nd minute with Mekhrubon Karimov finding the back of the net. The defender went unmarked inside the box to score his first in the game with a beautiful header from a free kick.
The scorer was substituted by Rahmatshoh a few minutes later.
Tajikistan scored their third within six minutes when Panshanbe slotted a grounded cross from the right flank.
Khalid Jamil made a couple of substitutions, with Farukh Choudhary coming on in place of Chhangte. The substitute caught eyes since taking on the pitch with his clever runs with the ball.
Choudhary ultimately ended up scoring the only goal for the Blue Tigers in the dying minutes as his free kick found the bottom left corner.
With this result, India stretch their losing streak to three games in a row. The Blue Tigers will again face the Tajikistan side on June 9th in another friendly fixture in Hisor.
Who scored the solitary goal for India?
Farukh Choudhary scored the solitary goal for India.
When will India next play against Tajikistan?
India will next play against Tajikistan on June 9th.
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Shibashis is a sports journalist with over three years of experience covering Indian football. His work spans reporting, writing, and editing, with a strong focus on telling stories from across the Indian football landscape. Passionate about both Indian and European football, he continues to build his career by combining sharp reporting with a deep love for the game.