Hero Intercontinental Cup 2019 Live Commentary: India 2-5 DPR Korea

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2-5 

51' Chhangte           8' Gwan      71' Chhetri            16' Hyon Jin                                 29' Gwan                                  63' Un Chol                                   90+2' Ri Un Chol

 

FULL-TIME ANALYSIS: After the thrashing from Tajikistan, Korea DPR handed Igor Stimac an even harsher reality check by completely outplaying his men on the day. The visitors were more energetic and showed much more intent in getting a big win. Despite India's silent fight-back through Chhetri and Chhangte's goals in the second half, their disastrous defence halted any chance of a comeback. The subsitutes and certain youngsters made somewhat of a bright impression in this dark day, which potentially sees India knocked out of the Intercontinental Cup. Korea DPR get their first points and are tied with Syria on three points. The Blue Tigers have to play for pride against Syria and need to do much better to avoid another disaster. This is Uttiyo Sarkar signing out for Khel Now! Thank You and Good Night, Ladies and Gentlemen. 

90+4' The five goals sums up a minus-five stars when it comes to India's defence today. The EKA Arena is completely silent right now and apart from two encouraging goals, the Blue Tigers were completely toothless today. 

90+2 GOALL! DPR KOREA GET FIVE! Ri Un Chol does very well to get free and send in a fantastic low-shot from the right side. Pak Hyon IL's shot is saved by Amrinder, but Ri Hyong Jin's rebound sails into the net. 

90+1 Four minutes of added time is announced. Can India get one more before full-time? Let us know in the comments below.

88' The visitors are smelling blood in wanting to go for more goals, but aren't as energized anymore when it comes to tracking back. But India are unable to make-do anything to complete the mission impossible. 

85' The Blue Tigers might've been energized by the second-half substitutions but are still frustrating with some lapses in concentration. Sahal and Chhangte both had chances to start counter-attacks, but poor touches cost them both. 

82' Another decent move from India, as Chhetri sends in a decent ball to an overlapping Jerry on the left. However, the left-back's cross becomes a sho on target, but Tae Song holds onto it comfortably 

80' CLOSE AGAIN! A sublime pass is threaded through to Gwan just outside the penalty area, but the Korean captain's weak shot goes wide of the target. 

79' OOF! Hyong Jin takes the corresponding set-piece, but his powerful attempt blazes into the stands. 

78' DPR Korea push on a dangerous counter-attack and a great ball is played into Pak Song, who is brought just outside the box by Sahal. Dangerous position to get a freekick! 

76' WHAT A SAVE! Sahal does well to play in Chhetri, who finds Thapa inside the box with a clever pass. The Chennaiyin man blazes in a powerful shot which forces a superb save from An Tae Song. 

74' OOF! Sahal showcases his amazing ability as he skips past multiple Korean defenders in graceful style, but his shot is deflected off for a corner. 

71' GOALLLL! INDIA GET THEIR SECOND! And who else but Chhetri? Sahal makes instant impact as he does well to find Udanta on the right and the winger bombs in a low cross which deflects off Chhetri into the goal. 2-4!

70' Ri Thong IL comes on for his compatriot and India also make two changes. Sahal Abdul Samad comes in for Rowllin Borges and Rahul Bheke comes in for Pritam Kotal. 

68' Bit ugly scenes on the DPR Korea end. Hong jin Song goes in a tussle with Chhangte, but lands extremely badly on his elbow and goes down screaming in pain. He's going to be replaced now. 

63' GOALLL! DPR KOREA SCORE THEIR FOURTH! Gwan does really well to hold of his defenders and send Ri Un Chol through on a one-on-one situation with Amrinder, who can't do anything about the midfielder's sliced shot into goal. 1-4!

62' OOF!! Udanta plays a good one-two with Thapa just outside the box and thumps in an emphatic shot which just whiskers over the bar. 

60' CLOSE! The visitors whip in another inviting corner, but Gwan's header this time goes well wide of the target. 

58' Amarjit Kiyam goes down clutching his ankle after taking a bad challenge. However, he's quick to get back up and help his side mount more attacks. 

55' Another substitution from Stimac as Anirudh Thapa comes in for Jobby Justin. Maybe the Croat's smelt blood and wants to add more creativity to break the visitors. 

53' The Blue Tigers avert disaster once again, as a through ball sends Pak Song through on goal but is ruled offside. The defender doesn't like it at all and is booked for reacting badly by kicking the ball away. 

52' OFF THE CROSSBAR! Adil completely mistimes a long-ball and the all falls to Gwan, whose blazing shot rattles the top-post and goes out. 

51' GOALLL!! CHHANGTE PULLS ONE BACK! Chhetri does very well to lay in a brilliant ball into the left-winger, who speeds past his man and buries the shot into the Korean goal. 1-3! 

50' Amarjit Singh gets a yellow-card after another cylnical foul stopping the Korea counter-attack.

48' Encouraging attack from the Blue Tigers! Chhangte shows his electric manner in going through the left before passing to Amarjit. The youngster plays a good ball to Udanta, who loops in a cross to the marauding Rowllin Borges, whose indecisiveness in passing to Amarjit than taking a shot ruins the attack. 

46' DPR Korea start the second half attacking from the left to right, as Subhashish wins back possession almost instantly. Bit more spirit in the Blue Tigers so far. 

09:05 PM: Two changes have been made in the half-time break. Manvir Singh and Brandon Fernandes have gone off, with Udanta Singh and Lallianzuala Chhangte coming on. More power in attack, but can it pay off?

8:56 PM: It was an ugly performance from India in the first half and our correspondent Wasasim Zaidi's ratings are equally ruthless to how Korea were in the field. Here they are: Amrinder Singh - 3.5 Pritam Kotal - 3.0 Subhasish Bose - 3.5 Sandesh Jhingan - 2.5 Jerry Lalrinzuala - 3.5 Brandon Fernandes - 4.0 Rowlin Borges - 4.5 Amarjit Singh Kiyam - 3.0 Manvir Singh - 4.5 Jobby Justin - 5.0 Sunil Chhetri - 5.0 Adil Khan - 4.5

HALF-TIME ANALYSIS: The horror show has continued for The Blue Tigers into this game. DPR Korea have been absolutely ruthless going forward and influenced by their tireless captain, who scored two well-taken goals, they've been unstoppable so far. India have had no shots on target, little possession and an absolute wreck in defence. Igor Stimac is finally feeling the pressure and enormity of this job and his tinkering has only brought on disastrous results so far. Can India put in a more positive performance in the second half? We'll be back with the action in a bit. 

45'2 Amrinder cuts a disgruntled figure, mostly after being bummed by his own mistakes in the game. The Blue Pilgrims aren't shackled by this poor half and there's a big viking clap going onto the stands. Can that inspire the Blue Tigers to turn things around in the next half? 

45' Good work from Amrinder again! Gwan is sent through on goal with a clever through-ball, but Amrinder sprints in to get the ball before the striker and avert a possible penalty. Meanwhile, two minutes of added time is announced.  

44' CLOSE! Ri Hyong Jin thumps in a venomous free-kick, but Amrinder does well to dive to his left and make a strong save. 

43' Adil ends up making a horrible challenge outside the box on Pak Song and gets the yellow-card. Free-kick in dangerous position for Korea here!

41' Adil is looking sharp after coming on. He makes one crunching challenge on a Korean midfielder on the half-way line and sprints back to stop Gwan as well outside the box. Good spirit in dismal times. 

39' The DPR Korea earn a free-kick in an awkward angle on the right-hand side. Gwan tries to go for the curler, but his shot goes sailing over. 

37' A small drinks break takes place due to Jhingan's injury. The Kerala Blasters man tries playing on, but he's on the turf in pain. Adil Khan will come on for him. 

35' A horrible tackle from behind earns Sandesh Jhingan the first yellow card of the evening. And that seems the end of his night as he's down clutching his hamstring. 

33' There's a visible gap between the Indian midfield and the attack. A pretty good attack is created through the right, but Rowllin makes a brain-fade and destroys all momentum with a horrible pass for the DPR Korea throw. Poor. 

31' Pak Song is just all over the Indian defence and pressing really high up to win back possession. Jerry does well to earn a free-kick with his persistent tackling, but the Blue Tigers look dumbfound at what has transpired. 

29' GOALL! ANOTHER ONE FROM JONG IL GWAN! The substitute Song puts in a brilliant cross from the left and the Korean captain outjumps Jerry to thump in a powerful header. Amrinder had no chance! 0-3!

27' The visitors are making an early change, as striker Han Thae Hyok is replaced with defender Pak Myong Song in what seems a defensive change. This early though? 

25' AMRINDER SAVES! Korea whip in a very good corner kick which meets Gwan's head, but the Mumbai City man does very well to parry it away. Great save!

23' Igor Stimac doesn't look happy at all in the touchlines, cutting a grumpy look. He surely won't be pleased with what he's seen and will need to work to turn things around. 

21' Amrinder is having a real shocker in this game. After receiving the ball, he can't clear it before being closed down and heads it afar before Subhashish Bose's clearance averts a near-disaster. Worrying signs. 

20' Another impressive attack from the visitors, as Gwan does well to find a longball for Ri Un IL, who tries heading it for Hyon Jin but Amrinder holds onto it. Meanwhile, our correspondent Rutvij Joshi says that Adil Khan is warming up in the touchlines. 

18' Just like they did against Syria, the Koreans have started the game firing on all cylinders. The EKA Arena is in stunned silence having seen what just transpired. Can the Blue Tigers mount a comeback? Let us know in the comments below..

16' GOALL! DPR KOREA SCORE AGAIN!  The Indian defence is again split open by Ri Un Chol's impressive pass and Hyon Jin makes no mistake in slicing his shot past Amrinder. 0-2!

14' The Blue Tigers defence looks extremely nervous as midfielder Sim Hyon Jin dances past multiple players before his pass to Gwan finds him in an offside position. India are struggling to get a hold of his game and only encouraging the visitors to go attack more. 

11' SO CLOSE! An instant equaliser almost comes for the Blue Tigers, as Amarjit's free-kick from long finds a free header from Chhetri, who can't head it into an open net after An Tae Song had come off his line. 

10' The EKA Arena has become awfully quiet after that goal. North Korea have again scored an early goal, this time due to Amrinder misreading the free-kick altogether. However, like Syria, India will also aim to make a comeback and the fans are trying to rally them on. 

8' GOALL!! CAPTAIN JONG IL GWAN SCORES! A beautiful free-kick from the captain fools Amrinder, with his blazing shot blasting into the top left-hand corner to give the visitors the lead. 0-1!

7' The visitors get a free-kick in a very promising position. Jerry Lalrinzuala is crowded out and the Koreans steal the ball off him, but Amarjit Singh Kiyam is forced to make a cynical foul to stop the counter-attack. 

5' DPR Korea have dominated the early proceedings so far. The visitors create a good move through the left and the ball falls to Ri Hyong Jin, who is brought down just inside but it's a clean tackle! 

3' As expected, Manvir Singh starts as the right-winger and has looked lively so far with some impressive movement. Chhetri is playing behind Jobby Justin and is already very vocal on instructing his players to play as one unit. 

1' AND WE KICKOFF! Sunil Chhetri kicks off the game, with the Blue Tigers attacking from the left to right. 

07:57 PM- India's Sports Minister Mr Kiren Rijju meets with the teams prior to kick-off. Meanwhile, our correspondent Rutvij Joshi says there were loud chants of "India! India!" heard when the Blue Tigers came onto the field. Hopefully, more of this as the game goes on!

07:55 PM- Both the teams are now heading into the field. We will have some pre-match rituals, including the national anthems and are moving closer to kick-off. Stay tuned folks!

07:50 PM- Igor Stimac has had his side undergoing some rigorous pre-match training drills and the Blue Tigers are being pumped to start in electrifying fashion. While the relatively early goals last time ushered a wondrous response, India needs to play carefully knowing their stamina levels. Exhausting like last time can create problems and that is one aspect Stimac must have his eye on improving. 

07:45 PM- DPR Korea have also made three changes to their line-up which was eventually thrashed 5-2 to Syria on Monday. They could be the underdogs heading into the game, but like India, have a point to prove after a crushing defeat. They proved to be surprising dynamites in attack last time out and if they continue working together in tandem, the Blue Tigers could be in for a rough night. 

07:40 PM- With a midfield pivot of Rowllin Borges and Amarjit Singh, the Blue Tigers will get a new rhythm to their core. As DPR Korea are known for stacking defenders behind and trying to move through midfield, the two midfielders will be key to controlling proceedings and creating things. Brandon also gets the opportunity to prove himself a deadly playmaker with three clinical outlets ahead of him. 

07:35 PM- A few days ago, Igor Stimac had persisted on his feelings that India needs to produce better goal-scorers to compliment Chhetril going forward. Well, he's handed two traditional number-nines in Manvir and Justin the opportunity to prove themselves as his potential heirs. Even after insisting India needs greater defenders, he's gone back to the old guard to make sure defensive lapses don't deter the Blue Tigers' momentum this time around. 

07:30 PM- Well the defeat against Tajikistan definitely hasn't dimmed the attitude of the fans hoping to watch their Blue Tigers thrill them on a Saturday Night. Our correspondent Rutvij Joshi says there are big queues on both the entry gates into the EKA Arena and that today's attendance could well end up outnumbering that of the last game.  

07:25 PM- It looks like the Blue Tigers might be opting for a modified 4-3-3 formation tonight, with Chhetri and Manvir operating down the wings and Justin leading the attack-force. With important stars like Anirudh Thapa, Udanta Singh and Sahal Abdul Samad all benched, the Croat is definitely looking to shake things up to consolidate the victory this time around against a prominently defensive Korea DPR side. 

07:20 PM- Igor Stimac has once again completely reshuffled his team after the defeat, making nine changes to the side who lost to Tajikistan! The whole back-five is changed, with experienced Pritam Kotal, Sandesh Jhingan and Subhashish Bose coming in and Amrinder Singh replacing Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. Jobby Justin gets his starting debut for the Blue Tigers, while Manvir Singh is also included to partner him and Sunil Chhetri going forward. 

07:15 PM- Team News is in! Here are the starting lineups for the game.

India XI: Amrinder(GK), Kotal, Jhingan, Bose, Lalrinzuala, Borges, Amarjit, Brandon, Manvir, Chhetri(C), Justin. 

Subs: Gurpreet, Kamaljit, Narender, Adil, Bheke, Thapa, Rai, Udanta, Chhangte, Mandar, Sahal, Farukh. 

DPR Korea XI: A.T Song(GK), Bom, J.Chol, R.Chol, R.U Chol, Un Li, S.Jin, H.J Song, R.Jin, Gwan(C), H. Hyok.

Subs: S.Hyok, P. Song. R.IL, C. Song, Ri Ho, R. Hyok, K.IL, P. IL, J. Song. 

07:10 PM- It won't be an easy task overwhelming this Korea DPR team which almost caused an upset by displaying some impressive football against Syria last time around. The Blue Tigers are yet to get a win against them, having lost five out of eight encounters in the past. However, in pressure to produce something great, Stimac will be reinvigorated to change that record. 

07:05 PM- The Blue Tigers didn't start their Intercontinental Cup title defence on the best note. A crushing defeat to Tajikistan proved a reality check as to how competitive this tournament is this around. As The Crowns have already virtually booked a place in the finals, this is a must-win game for Igor Stimac's side to stay in the running. 

Also Read: Should Igor Stimac put a break on handing debuts after Intercontinental Cup experiment?

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

7:00 PM- Hello everyone! It is a wonderful atmosphere at the EKA Arena by TransStadia in Ahmedabad and the Indian National Team is all set to face DPR Korea in their second game of the Hero Intercontinental Cup 2019. The weather is near to perfect and spectators are coming in to experience the game. This is your host Uttiyo Sarkar, and I hope you enjoy the game with me.

Match Preview: India Vs DPR Korea Preview: Blue Tigers to go all-out for win against men fom Pyongyang