AFC Asian Cup 2019 Qualifiers LIVE: India 4-1 Macau

The Blue Tigers can seal qualification to the tournament in the UAE in 2019 with a win at home.

  4-1  

 20' Lao Kin 28' Rowlin Borges 37' Nicholas 60' Sunil Chhetri 70' Lam Sing (OG) 90+2' Jeje Lalpekhlua

 

Match Report: India hammer Macau 4-1 to realise Asian dream

We'll get you the match report quickly. 

Sunil Chhetri- "We want to rub shoulders with best in Asia". 

They play for the badge, they play with the passion and they've shown what they want and how strongly they want it, winning four in four. Asia's best, see you at the showdown. 

India complete a run of dozen games undefeated and qualify for the AFC Asian Cup 2019. Dominating performance as Indian players go for the Viking Clap. 

FINAL WHISTLE! INDIA HAVE QUALIFIED FOR THE AFC CUP! LET THMELTDOWNOWN! 

90+3' Corner to Macau, and is out with a bad touch. Can be the last kick of the game. 

90+2' MIZO SNIPER DOES IT AGAIN! SLOTS IT PAST AS SUNIL CHHETRI PLAYS A DELIGHTFUL LOW CUT IN. 

90+1' Three minutes of added time. Balwant runs to a loose ball again, but is collected by the goalkeeper. India will happily sleep tonight and await tomorrow's game for the U-17.

90' Jeje makes a run from a Balwant Singh through, but is offside. The No. 12 has been off color. 

89' Another Macau player is down and receives a little help from his fellow teammates. The game looks dead for the visitors, but India continue to make it 4-1. Khel Now once again gave you the right expectation, with goals in the second half. 

88' Macau continue to attempt in the centre, but cannot make a good pass in the final third ! JEJE slots one wide as he's brilliantly played by Sunil flick. 

87' BALWANT SINGH IS THE HERO OF THE MATCH, AND THE MESSAGE BELOW PROVES WHY! 

86' With Balwant's introduction, the game has seen an infusion of energy, pace and precision. We'll see more of him, we're certain. 

85' Balwant makes a superb run to a Eugeneson's through ball, but is called offside. Never looked like one. Should've been the fourth for the Punjabi striker. 

84' Salam Ranjan is being groomed well with Jhingan. Has looked calm and composed whenever on the ball. 

83' India win another on the right. Jeje plays it down to Narzary. The Indian defence have had an easy day to be fair. There haven't been too many attacks from the visitors. 

82' Another ball to Kotal, another cross. The man has been relentless in his crossing today. Macau look to have given up on their attempts as India continue to develop and stroll in the park. 

81' Free kick, taken by Keng Pan, curled in, low, into the hands of Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. 

80' India concede a free kick as Balwant pulls down a defender. Soft foul. No. 8, captain, makes way for No. 9 for Macau. Keng Pan comes on.

79' Balwant close to making it 4-in-4 games but curls it over wide. Came close, the No. 17 again! 

78' Corner from Eugeneson, Jhingan controls it, but can't place it to the goal. Plays it wide to the No. 7. ANother cross, is over most heads to the wide second post. India recycle the possession. 

77' Balwant tries to put one in again from the right but is blocked for a throw-in. Anas Edathodika makes way for Salam Ranjan Singh. A No. 9? Crazy. 

76' Another cross, another tackle from Das but Macau only get a throw in this time. The No. 17 is on song today. 

76' Macau build again, but earn a corner as Das clears another attack with a tackle. 

75' Shot unleashed by Macau, but is easily cradled by the behemoth Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. Calmness to the hilt. 

74' Chhetri, Balwant and Jeje combine again but the Mizo's strike is defended well. Eugene volleys a headed clearance over. 

73' Macau try to calmly create something out of possession, but the team looks out of sync. 

72' Chhetri switches flanks, finds Narzary, who crosses straight to the goalkeeper. 

71' An attack comes in for Macau, and Nicholas tries to volley it in. Is sent wide by the No. 10 and the goalscorer is looking like Macau's only threat. 

70' OWN GOAL as NARZARY's cross is cleared in! That's unlucky and poor at the same time. 

70' India is happy with the possession. 

69' No. 21 comes on for No. 17. Chi Hang will look to be a super sub. 

69' India is now controlling things and with Rafique, there's an increased and rejuvenated zip in the Indian midfield. 

68' Eugene tries to find Chhetri with a delightful chipped through, but is intercepted. 

67' Macau No. 23 scampers out of the pitch with the medical team. The games is restarted as Jhingan plays it to Kotal, who crosses it straight to the opposition goalkeeper.

66' India earn another throw in on from the left. Das handles that as some medical assistance is needed by a Macau player. 

65' BORGES OFF, MD. RAFIQUE ON.

64' If only the Blue Tigers were a little more clinical, the score would've been 4-1. 

63' Sunil is close again but is deemed a goal-kick. Balwant's cut-in. 

61' Balwant's predatory skills at it again as he runs onto a loose ball and tries to slot it past an onrushing keeper. Is wide.

60' IT'S TWO FOR INDIA AS THREE COMBINE! SUNIL WITH THE LEAD AS SUBSTITUTE BALWANT SINGH SIGNS IN A BRILLIANT LOW CROSS AFTER BEING PLAYED BY JEJE LALPEKHLUA! COMETH THE HOUR, COMETH THE MAN!

60' A cross has been whipped in from the right for Nicholas, but is well dealt by Kotal. Good defensive header. The fans must understand that the pitch is heavy and it is difficult to control possession here. 

59' Chhetri has drifted to the left, and Narzary is on the right. India formation, currently, is 4-4-2. Stephen and his love for this diamond. 

58' Another goalkick for India as Ieong plays it to the No. 20, who whips one wide. 

57' Eugene sends a long ball to find Chhetri, but is a little too heavy. The puddle helps the ball to crawl out. 

56' Header from Jhingan and on the target! Is brilliantly saved. Another corner is defended well. Macau counter, but the long ball is collected easily. 

55' Macau's attack is stooped in the box by Sandesh's block. Balwant runs onto a good long ball from Kotal, and is sent out for a corner. Eugene on it again.

54' Eugene sends it onto the first post. Disappointing header from Jeje. 

53' Narzary is playing as an inverted winger on the right and is cutting in pretty smoothly. The puddle is still disturbing. Sunil and Narzary combine and win a corner. 

52' India attack, as Balwant plays it on to Sunil, who mis-controls. 

51' Cross from the right, is cleared by both Jhingan and Kotal. A ball comes in, and is ensured safety by Gurpreet. 

50' Nicholas Terrao tries to control the ball with a high foot, but Borges is there for the protection. 

49' Anas smashes a ball and stops a Macau attack. Most of the game is being played in the Macau half.  

48' Balwant lays it forward for Jeje, and Sunil can't reach to it. India continue from the first half domination. Jeje is brought down, but the referee looks uninterested. 

47' Jeje seems to be absent about making a run and Balwant tries and threads a through ball. Lack of coordination. 

47' Anas is down with a disturbed ankle. Jamshedpur fans must be scratching their heads.

46' India change ends and will now attack from left to right on your screens. As Khel Now predicted, Jackichand makes way for BALWANT SINGH. The two-goal man against Macau in the first leg. 

The teams are walking out to the centre. Macau will kick the ball to restart. 

Indian manager Stephen Constantine will be hoping his captain leads the line and gets some supreme chances. 

At Half Time, a lot of excitement is building up in the stands. Balwant Singh's videos of the game against Macau is being played on the television, and the striker must be licking his fingers. 

The scorecard at halftime

Will Chennaiyin's sniper Jeje score today? He's been a little low in the last few games! High time the Mizo comes back to his scoring best. 

Any guesses on the substitutions? We bet Balwant Singh and Mohd. Rafique will come in at some stage of the game. Out? Jeje Lalpekhlua and Eugeneson Lyngdoh. 

Analysis: The hosts have clearly been the dominant force, but the visitors, too, have slowly grown into the game. Rowlin's strike was cancelled out by Nicholas and the game is sure to be played with a lot more intent, now that there's no rain. Expect at least three goals in the second half. 

HALF TIME AS ROWLIN BORGES GETS HIS FIRST NATIONAL TEAM GOAL IN AN YEAR-AND-HALF.

45+1' Jackichand makes a wild run and stops it well, but over runs.

45' A shot comes in, but is wide. The final ball's quality is lacking, and India need to be more clinical clearly to stamp their authority. A cross comes in for Macau, but Gurpreet is game for it. 

44' This is India's first conceded goal in AFC Asian Cup qualification. 1-0 against Myanmar, 1-0 against the Kyrgyz Republic and 2-0 against Macau in the first leg. 

41' Throw in from the left for the Blue Tigers. Is played to Anas to rebuild from the back. Pritam's ensuing cross after an exchange of passes is over the bar. 

40' The game is paused with a little break for the player to attend medication. Borges had another shot blocked in India's last attack. 

39' Shoulder-to-shoulder and the ball strolls out. Captain and No. 8 for Macau, Ieong is down with a little pain. 

38' India continue to attack, with Kotal being the protagonist. Jeje though, fails to play it well to the captain. Another attack from Holicharan is broken down by a clearance. 

37' NICHOLAS SCORES THE EQUALISER OUT OF NOTHING. CROSS FROM THE RIGHT, AND THE NO. 10 FINDS SPACE BETWEEN JHINGAN AND KOTAL. 

36' Gurpreet hasn't had to make any difficult save so far, and his long ball is tried on by the captain. Is cleared by the Goalkeeper, and Sunil tries to cheekly throw it in the path of Jeje, is saved. 

35' Jeje is played on a counter by Eugeneson, and the No. 12 finds the running captain with a pass similar to what was the assist against the Kyrgyz Republic. Is offside.

34' The domination is such that Jhingan has played as a right back at times. Kotal is almost functioning as a second winger. 

33' Eugene looks so comfortable on the ball, whenever he has a little space to operate. India should expect to win this by a three, four goal margin. 

32' India happy to sit on with possession, playing close to the half line. The wing play has been the pick of the things for the Blue Tigers, as another Pritam cross is met by Holicharan Narzary. Is headed towards the goal, but is saved well.

31' The rain has stopped and it's been all India. A cross comes in from the left for Macau, is headed but easily saved by Gurpreet. That's smart positioning and game reading. 

30' India continue to dominate, as another attack from the right is built. Curled in with a high cross, headed on by Chhetri but is over and out for a goalkick. 

29' India attack again, but Jackichand loses it with poor control on the ball. 

28' ROWLIN WITH THE FIRST OF THE EVENING! HE TRIES TO CURL IT TO THE SECOND POST, BUT IS DEFLECTED IN. 

28' Narayan whips in a cross, Jeje tries to flick it in.

27' Narzary and Chhetri are linking up well, as the captain continues to complement the No. 19's hard work well. Foul on Eugeneson in the middle of the park . 

26' The game has taken its own pace, easily understandable by the state of heavy feet. The ground looks beautiful as the rains decrease.  

24' Macau with a long ball from a free kick, is headed to Gurpreet by an opposition attacker. India create in the opposition box, but lose possession with a wrong pass. 

23' Jackichand crosses in the box, Jeje controls and passes it back to the No. 10. Cross comes in, is heavy. Collected by the goalkeeper as Chhetri tries to head it in. 

22' Cross comes in from Kotal from the deep right wing. Is direct and powerful. He rolled his laces on it. 

20' No. 6 Lao Kin pulls the Indian captain and is shown the yellow card just outside the Macau box. Chhetri interested. Tries to curl in to the second post, is over. 

19' Macau take a shot, but Rowlin's disturbance from behind and Jhingan's block helps it out for a throw in. 

18' The rain seems to have diminished and a cross from No. 10 Jackichand Singh is straight to the keeper. Chhetri was going for it. It's such a treat to see the captain operate centrally. 

17' No. 4 Chan Chun takes the free kick, curls it wide and over. 

16' Both teams are exchanging possession happily and Macau just get a free kick from a tackle from Sandesh Jhingan. Jhingan, Borges and Narzary form a wall as Gurpreet gives his orders. 

15' Macau with their first corner. Sent in from the right wing, but is headed out by their attacker. India with a throw on the right. 

14' The rain and the condition of the pitch confuses a lot of players in terms of going for it or waiting for it to come to them. That's the most difficult aspect while receiving the ball. In terms of carrying the ball, having heavy touches is wrong. 

13' Rowlin with a long distance attempt. Is well over. Much needed to increase the tempo of the game. 

12' It's raining heavily and only the captain looks to have complete control on the ball. Brilliant run on the left as 'HAM HONGE KAAMYAAB' is being sung. 

11' The crowds are cheering the side. The last time India qualified for the AFC Asian Cup in 2008, it was raining heavily at the Ambedkar Stadium, New Delhi. Are we in for an encore? 

10' Kotal with a cross, but it is cleared over. Chhetri is termed offside.

09' Long ball comes in from a free-kick but Indian Spiderman controls it well. The pitch is starting to take its effect.  

08' Foul on Jeje, as he tries to control and chest down a ball. India regain possession. The rains have altered the pace of the game, and Jackichand's cross is easily collected by the goalkeeper. 

07' Macau's first build up, with a long ball to the left wing. Kotal covers, but the man is capable to convert it to a positive pass to recycle. 

06' The rain has affected the ball playing. It's not rolling as smooth as it usually does. Expecting a slow end to end action. 

05' Narzary played through by a flick from the captain, crosses, is blocked. Macau living dangerously. 

04' CHANCE FOR INDIA! Sunil luckily gets one-on-one with the keeper, but is collected well by the custodian. India already showing domination in their dominion. 

03' India keep changing the wings smoothly. Stephen Constantine looks like a weatherman covered with a large raincoat. Home benefit, if you can call it.

There has been rain in Bengaluru since the afternoon and thus, we can't see a lot of crowd in the stands. 

02' Chhetri goes on a run on the right wing, flows a ball into the box, cleared and India wins their first corner. Eugene plays a one-two with Chhetri and a ball comes in. Jhingan and Anas both come close, but miss it. 

01' India kick off proceedings. The Blue Tigers are playing from left to right and have kept close possession in the first few minutes. 

19:29 PM: The toss has happened and captains have exchanged the flags. Sunil Chhetri knows that the Indian audiences are expecting absolute domination.

19:26 PM: Bengaluru FC's John Johnson and Kunaal Majgaonkar are also in the stands. Out to watch their captain play and take the nation to Asia's elite? 

19:25 PM: National anthem in front a good crowd. Always a moving scene. Pride, power and passion through the bloodstreams. 

19:24 PM: The teams are walking out to the centre. 

19: 22 PM: Bengaluru FC's manager Albert Roca is in the stands. Knows Chhetri and Gurpreet from close quarters. Indian legend IM Vijayan is also attending the game. 

19:20 PM: Star seem to be building all the right atmosphere before the Indian Super League 2017-18 kicks off. The studio looks beautiful to be fair. 

19:15 PM: CAN BENGALURU CREATE WHAT DELHI DID FOR THE U-17 NATIONAL TEAM?

The crowd went berserk as India scored their FIFA WORLD CUP goal? Will Bengaluru do the same as India achieves another dream?

19:14 PM: India is set to start in a 4-2-3-1 formation, correctly predicted by Khel Now. The introduction of Jeje Lalpekhlua from the starting whistle proves that the No. 12 still commands a lot of respect and confidence in the dressing room. 

19:13 PM: Udanta's absence and Jackichand's presence proves that the National team is going with a purview of being safe and secure. The National team No. 10 helps out Pritam Kotal on the right side of the pitch in defence and sparsely goes on yolo runs. 

19:09 PM: Stephen Constantine on Myanmar and the Kyrgyz Republic's 2-2 draw: That helps us more in terms of the qualification. We'll hope to win this. 

19:08 PM: Stephen Constantine: We're going to have to be patient, and ensure there aren't any counter attacks. We'll try to put the balls into the box and someone should get to the end of it. 

19:07 PM: Stephen Constantine: I thought the U-17 were terrific in the last game and deserved at least a point. I wish them the best for tomorrow. 

19:05 PM: 

Khel Now believes the Indian National team will play in this structure

18:45 PM: Indian Starting XI: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK), Anas Edathodika, Sandesh Jhingan, Pritam Kotal, Narayan Das, Eugeneson Lyngdoh, Rowlin Borges, Sunil Chhetri, Holicharan Narzary, Jackichand Singh, Jeje Lalpekhlua

[KH_RELATED_NEWS title="Related News"][/KH_RELATED_NEWS]

MACAU STARTING XI: Ho Fai (GK), Chan Chun, Lao Kin, Cheang Ieong, Nicholas, Seng, Nicholas, Hou, Lei Hou, Carlos, Kam Hou

18:30 Hello and welcome to the Live commentary of the crucial AFC Asian Cup Qualifier between hosts India and Macau. This is your host Punit Tripathi standing by to bring you all the action as it happens at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bengaluru.