Mehtab, Gurpreet shine, Jeakson, Suresh need to improve as India lose against Qatar in FIFA World Cup Qualifiers

India are out of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.

India suffered a 2-1 loss in their final 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers second round clash against Qatar in Doha on Tuesday (June 11).

The Blue Tigers had taken the lead through Lallianzuala Chhangte in the 37th minute to give them hope. However, a controversial equalizer from Youssef Aymen, where the ball had seemingly gone over the line, brought the game level in the 73rd minute. An 85th-minute goal from Ahmed Al-Rawi ended an exhausted Blue Tigers’ chances of qualifying for the third round. Here are the player ratings.

India

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu – 7.5

The India captain was reliable and composed in his goal, making a string of superb saves to keep his side in the game.

Collected crosses impressively and moved the ball forward. Unlucky to concede the first goal like that and then the second too.  

Mehtab Singh – 8.0

Mehtab had a superb game and repaid Stimac’s faith in him. He made several goal-saving blocks, won five duels and made eight possession recoveries too.

Rahul Bheke – 5.5

Bheke mostly held together a pretty solid defensive line, marshaling his backline strongly. Made three clearances and two interceptions, but could’ve done better to stop Alarawi’s shot for his goal. Troubled by the late counter-attacks after losing energy.

Anwar Ali – 6.5

Ali was extremely proactive at the back, making his presence felt in the backline. He almost always turned up in key areas, making four clearances, three interceptions and won four duels. Was outmaneuvered on a few occasions and started losing steam in the second half.  

Jay Gupta – 7

Gupta had another encouraging outing for India. He moved the ball forward nicely on the left and was disciplined defensively.

He made nine recoveries, three interceptions and won five duels. Unfortunately, injured after trying to score late on.

Manvir Singh – 5.0

Manvir was a real engine on the right, covering a lot of ground and providing nice defensive cover. But, he lost his composure in key areas, missing a few decent chances and not creating much.

Jeakson Singh – 6.0

Jeakson couldn’t impose himself physically against the Qatar midfield. He often gave the ball away and struggled to move it forward. Made some nice challenges, but couldn’t help his side with the build-up play.

Suresh Singh – 5.0

Suresh was hassled by the Qatari players, often getting robbed of possession with aggressive challenges. Couldn’t provide much going forward and struggled to stop Qatar’s rampage through the central areas.

Brandon Fernandes – 7.0

Fernandes was a livewire in midfield, closing down the Qatar players well to win back possession. Made a smart pass to help setup the goal.

Lallianzuala Chhangte – 7.0

Chhangte had a jittery start and his first touches were awry. But. used his predatory instincts well to produce an impressive strike.

Rahim Ali – 6.5

Although Ali couldn’t convert the chances he played really well upfront and troubled the Qatar defense.

Substitutes

Liston Colaco – 5.0

Liston made a few nice runs but had very little impact in the final third and lacked decision-making.

Sahal Abdul Samad – 5.5

Sahal created a few decent late chances, but couldn’t see much done from them.  

Vikram Pratap Singh – 5.5

Vikram Pratap showed decent dedication to make some nice forward runs, but couldn’t get the ball in key areas.

Edmund Lalrindika –  N/R

Lalrindika couldn’t see much of the ball in his late cameo.

Nandhakumar Sekar – N/R

Not able to get into the game that much late on.

Qatar

Saad Al Sheeb – 5.5

Did well in sweeping up some attacks but couldn’t do much about Chhangte’s goal.

Youssef Aymen – 7.5

The senior-most centre-back did his job well and mostly held together a strong defensive line. He neutralized Ali’s threat well, won nine duels and made nine possession recoveries too. Scored a very fortunate goal from close range.

Alhasmi Mohialdin – 8.0

The left-sided centre-back was sharp on his side, cutting out several of India’s moves. Made seven clearances and two tackles and won eight duels. Controversially assisted the equalizer.

Nabil Irfan – 6.0

The young centre-back moved the ball around well and won some key challenges, but lacked the composure and positional skills. Found himself in no man’s land at times, especially for Chhangte’s goal.

Mohamed Gouda – 7.5

The teenager was a real livewire on the right. Troubled Jay Gupta with his pace and created a few big chances with his smart delivery, often getting into the box. Came close to scoring in the second half before being taken off.

Hazem Shehata – 6.0

Shehata was proactive on the left, keeping Manvir from creating chances. He made two tackles and won three duels, but lacked any attacking prowess.

Naif Alhadhrami – 7.0

The 22-year-old was energetic and pressed well in midfield, making two tackles and two interceptions. Passed it along well and stopped India’s movement through central areas.

Abdullah Alahrak – 7.0

Alahrak was quite menacing with his splitting forward passes and set-pieces. Created two decent chances and used his physicality well to win duels and keep his side in control of the game.

Ibrahim Mohammad Ali – 6.0

The 18-year-old wasn’t able to create much but showed decent energy and clever movement to keep the defenders guessing.

Ahmed Al-Ganehi – 6.0

The 23-year-old was menacing, making clever final third passes and created some decent chances. But, lacked composure in the final third and was taken off at half-time.

Ahmed Al-Rawi – 7.0

Alrawi had a frustrating game, but he never gave up despite seeing many shots go astray. Scored a brilliant strike from outside the box to complete his side’s comeback.

Substitutes

Ali Nader – 6.5

The substitute goalkeeper made a few sharp saves, especially one when denying Jay Gupta a late opportunity.

Homam Elamin – 6.0

Elamin helped his side open up the Indian team more often, moving the ball into the empty spaces well.

Khalid Ali Sabah – 6.0

Ali Sabah added decent creativity to Qatar’s midfield, helping create a few decent chances in the second half.

Tameem Alabdulla – N/R

Couldn’t stamp his authority and had a quiet cameo.

Abdullah Al-Yazidi – N/R

The 22-year-old struggled to create much late on.

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