Doha, June 15: India scored from an own goal by Afghanistan goalie as they ended their World Cup Qualifiers campaign with a 1-1 draw to book a berth in the next qualifying round of the Asian Cup here on Tuesday.
A howler by Afghanistan goalie Ovays Azizi handed India a 1-0 lead in the 75th minute but Hossein Zamani equalised in the 81st minute in a match marred by poor refereeing. The two sides had also played out a 1-1 draw in the first leg match in Dushanbe in 2019.
It was an open and fast-paced game with the Afghans playing a more physical game in a match strewn with fouls and referee Ali Reda failing to discipline the players.
India had 10 shots on target against seven from Afghanistan. Three Afghan players were shown yellow cards as against one of India.
With seven points from eight matches, India finished third in Group E behind toppers Qatar and Oman, and ahead of Afghanistan (4th in group with six points from eight matches).
India under Igor Stimac ended the World Cup qualifying campaign with one win, four draws and three losses. Besides the win against Bangladesh in their previous match, the first leg 0-0 draw against Asian champions Qatar here in 2019 was the highlight of the campaign.
In the 75th minute, Kuruniyan sent a high cross from the left which Suresh Wangjam tried to reach for. Afghan goalie Azizi rose for what should have been an easy collection but the ball dropped and slipped between his legs into the empty goal.
But seven minutes later, Afghanistan’s Zamani curled past Gurpreet after the Afghan striker won the ball from the Indian defense to equalise. (PTI)
