Dhaka:
Plagued by injury and looking unconvincing in the group stage, India will have a tough task at hand when they take on hosts Bangladesh - only unbeaten side so far - in the semifinal of the SAFF Championships here on Friday.
The Indian under-23 boys have made it to the semifinals after unconvincing victories in their first two group matches before they were brought down by holders Maldives 0-2 and they now run into the home side, who are unbeaten in the tournament.
Coach Sukhwinder Singh may claim that he had to start without five best players due to injuries and suspensions against the Maldives but the truth is his boys have struggled in all the three group matches.
In the opening match, most of the ball possession was with the Afghans who even had more scoring chances. India were saved by a last-gasped goal by Jeje Lalpeklua.
The second match was worse as India were done a favour by the Nepalese goalkeeper to let in a goal and then the Maldivians simply outplayed the Indians in the final group match.
The Indian defence have been tentative throughout the tournament and the gaping holes were most visible against the Maldivians whose striker Ali Ashfaq created havoc on a couple of occasions.
But the worst part is holding the ball in the midfield and the Indian medios have forgotten to build attacks. This has dried up the scoring chances for the Indians though the strikers, including captain Sushil Singh, have not done anything worthwhile.
To make matters worse for India, striker Balwant Singh would not be available for tomorrow's match though right winger Joaqium Abranches will return after missing a match due to two double bookings.
Sukhwinder though is still hopeful that his boys can rise to the occasion and win tomorrow.
"The loss against Maldives was not a setback. We did not have our five starting players. The morale of the boys is high and they can rise to the occasion tomorrow," he said.
"Balwant will not play as red card offences carry to the knock-out phase. Had it been a double booking he would have played tomorrow. Manish Maithani will also not be available whereas Jagtar Singh is out of the tournament," he added.
Bangladesh, who lost to India in two summit clashes in 1999 and 2005 are the only unbeaten side in the tournament and momentum is on their side.
The home side started the tournament with a 4-1 win over Bhutan. That was followed by a goal-less draw against Pakistan before beating a strong Sri Lanka 2-1 in the final group game. They have a dangerous striker in Enamul Haq who is the tournament top-scorer with four shots at target so far.
The Indian under-23 boys have made it to the semifinals after unconvincing victories in their first two group matches before they were brought down by holders Maldives 0-2 and they now run into the home side, who are unbeaten in the tournament.
Coach Sukhwinder Singh may claim that he had to start without five best players due to injuries and suspensions against the Maldives but the truth is his boys have struggled in all the three group matches.
In the opening match, most of the ball possession was with the Afghans who even had more scoring chances. India were saved by a last-gasped goal by Jeje Lalpeklua.
The second match was worse as India were done a favour by the Nepalese goalkeeper to let in a goal and then the Maldivians simply outplayed the Indians in the final group match.
The Indian defence have been tentative throughout the tournament and the gaping holes were most visible against the Maldivians whose striker Ali Ashfaq created havoc on a couple of occasions.
But the worst part is holding the ball in the midfield and the Indian medios have forgotten to build attacks. This has dried up the scoring chances for the Indians though the strikers, including captain Sushil Singh, have not done anything worthwhile.
To make matters worse for India, striker Balwant Singh would not be available for tomorrow's match though right winger Joaqium Abranches will return after missing a match due to two double bookings.
Sukhwinder though is still hopeful that his boys can rise to the occasion and win tomorrow.
"The loss against Maldives was not a setback. We did not have our five starting players. The morale of the boys is high and they can rise to the occasion tomorrow," he said.
"Balwant will not play as red card offences carry to the knock-out phase. Had it been a double booking he would have played tomorrow. Manish Maithani will also not be available whereas Jagtar Singh is out of the tournament," he added.
Bangladesh, who lost to India in two summit clashes in 1999 and 2005 are the only unbeaten side in the tournament and momentum is on their side.
The home side started the tournament with a 4-1 win over Bhutan. That was followed by a goal-less draw against Pakistan before beating a strong Sri Lanka 2-1 in the final group game. They have a dangerous striker in Enamul Haq who is the tournament top-scorer with four shots at target so far.
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