AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers: Late penalty sinks India against UAE

India U-23 suffered a 1-0 defeat to UAE U-23 in their second Group E match of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers at the Fujairah Club Stadium in Fujairah. In a match where chances were hard to come by, the victors were fortunate to get a penalty in the 80th minute which was duly converted by Abdullah Idrees. 

India's coach Igor Stimac made a single change to the starting XI that won 2-1 against Oman with Lalengmawia replacing Aniket Jadhav. The Croatian stuck to the back four of Asish Rai, Deepak Tangri, Narender Gahlot, and Akash Misra with Dheeraj Singh under the sticks. Lalengmawia slotted in as a defensive midfielder and skipper Suresh Singh was instructed to operate in an advanced position to put pressure on the UAE centre backs while chasing the ball. Vikram Pratap Singh and Rahul KP occupied the wide areas while Rahim Ali was the lone striker upfront. 

The Whites started to dominate right from the start enjoying the lion's share of ball possession. But India held their shape well and hardly provided any space for UAE. The likes of Sultan Adil and Majid Rashid kept knocking but ran out of steam after they reached the attacking third with Gahlot and Tangri stifling the forwards. 

It was not until the 33rd minute that UAE had a clear sight of the goal but Rashed Salem's attempt was brilliantly kept out by Dheeraj in a one-on-one situation. Just at the nick of half-time India had got the ball at the back of UAE's net but Ali was adjudged to have touched the ball from an off-side position.

The dynamics of the game hardly changed after the break with UAE trying every trick up their sleeve to break down a disciplined and composed Indian defense. Around the hour-mark Abdullah Sultan found an open net to head the ball home due to some miscommunication in Indian defense but the player could only strike it wide. Stimac responded immediately by sacrificing Vikram Pratap and bringing on Sumit Rathi. 

The hosts upped their ante in the final 20 minutes as they started pouring more bodies forward in search of the opener. In the 74th Ali Saleh got a freebie as India lost possession in a crucial area but it was Dheeraj once again who came to the rescue with an outstretched hand. 

With just 10 minutes to go, Suresh conceded a penalty as he brought down Ali Saleh inside the box. Abdullah Idrees stepped up to take the spot-kick and the defender made no mistake to break the deadlock with a calm and composed effort. Stimac threw in Jadhav and Rohit Danu in the dying embers of the game to salvage a point but it was not enough. 

In the other match, Oman beat Kyrgystan 1-0 which meant that all teams are tied at three points after two matchdays. Stimac's troops will once again return to action in the decider against Kyrgyzstan on October 30.