Football extravaganza is back in the continent as the AFC Asian Cup 2023 will begin on Friday, in Lusail, Qatar. Hosts Qatar will face Group A opponents Lebanon in the opener and it promises to be an exciting encounter. For Indian football fans, Sunil Chhetri and Co. will kick-off their campaign on Saturday in what is being touted as a David vs Goliath clash.
Igor Stimac’s men will take on heavyweights Australia, a team praised by Lionel Messi during Argentina’s victorious 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign. The Socceroos came up against them in the World Cup’s Round of 16 fixture and it turned out to be a tantalising encounter. Despite conceding a 2-0 lead, courtesy of goals from Messi and Julian Alvarez, Australia made the match go down the wire. Craig Goodwin made it 1-2 in the 77th-minute, and it was a nervy final few minutes for the South American nation.
Speaking after the match, Messi praised Australia’s approach, stating that they made it ‘difficult’ for Argentina as it was ‘a very physical match’. Graham Arnold’s men are currently 25th in the FIFA rankings, and are fourth in AFC. They have won the title once and also finished in second place once.
On the other hand, India are ranked 102nd and are 18th in the AFC rankings. India have never qualified for a World Cup and to face a team of Australia’s calibre will be a massive learning experience. It is likely to a one-sided encounter in favour of Australia but one should never count out India’s ability to pull off a miracle. Even a draw will be a huge boost to India’s knockout ambitions.
Against Australia, a lot of focus for India will be on Lallianzuala Chhangte, who has become a vital cog in the final third. The winger’s incredible pace, positioning and dribbling ability will be a constant threat to the opposition defence. To make matters worse, he is also a smooth finisher, who knows how to score a goal with ease. His link-up play with the likes of Chhetri will be important for India.
The 26-year-old was snubbed by Stephen Constantine in 2019, and this will be his first AFC Asian Cup experience. Since that snub, he has slowly transitioned into one of India’s best players. Speaking to Hindustan Times, the winger showcased his calm composure when asked about his prediction for the upcoming match. Refraining from speaking about the match result, he simply stated, “We will play hard, and try to get the best possible result from the game. That’s all.”
India are placed in Group B, which also has Uzbekistan and Syria. The Uzbeks are ninth in Asia and ranked 68th by FIFA. Meanwhile, Syria are 14th in Asia and have a FIFA ranking of 91. Logically India are the least favourites to make it past this group but anything can happen in a sport like football, where we have seen underdogs like Morocco showing brilliant football and reaching a World Cup semifinal.
India will face Uzbekistan in their second fixture on January 18, at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium in Rawdat Al Jahhaniya. Then they will take on Syria in their final group fixture on January 23, at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor.
Chhangte knows that it is ‘not an easy group by any means’ but India still ‘want to qualify’. During the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, India began on a fiery note, thumping Thailand, 4-1. After the win against Thailand, it looked like India were set for a fairytale run, but it all came crashing down. In their next match against UAE, India missed a host of chances in a 0-2 defeat, followed by a 0-1 loss vs Bahrain in their final group match.
“It’s not an easy group by any means, Australia, Uzbekistan, and Syria are all good teams, especially the first two. But it’s the Asian Cup, if you want to play at this level, you need to be prepared to face the best opponents in the continent. We are training hard, and we will play hard and give it our best in the three matches in the group stage, and then see where we stand. For sure, we want to qualify for the knockout rounds”, said the 26-year-old.
Even during the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, India were criticised for their poor clinical approach, which cost them important points. It was the same in 2019, and the Mumbai City winger feels India have been training hard to be more clinical.
“That is what we are aiming for. We will try our best, and as for the clinical bit, we have been working hard in training on that aspect, and hopefully we can show some results on the pitch. It’s very important to be clinical at this level, because you are not going to keep getting the same chances over and over again. You’ve got to take the chances you get, or the opponents are so good that they will punish you,” he said.
It will be interesting to see how Stimac utilises Chhangte against Australia; as a winger to create chances or as a supporting striker to partner Chhetri upfront. A player of his pace and calibre was felt missing in 2019, with Chhetri having to do everything alone against UAE and Bahrain. So if India need to make it past the group stage, Chhangte’s form will be crucial and Stimac’s role in using him will also be key.
