AFC Asian Cup Qualifier
By Our Reporter
Shillong, March 24: The India senior men’s team will begin their AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers third round campaign against Bangladesh on Tuesday at the JN Stadium here.
This will be the first competitive-level international men’s match in Shillong and expectations are high for a good turnout of fans to witness this historic occasion.
The other two teams in Group A, Singapore and Hong Kong, will also face each other on Tuesday. As only the group winners qualify for the final tournament in Saudi Arabia, the margin for error is low, with Manolo Márquez labelling the qualifiers as ‘six finals’.
“The first game is always important. It’s a short competition, only the top team qualifies for the tournament,” said Márquez at the pre-match press conference on Monday. “There are six games and we need to finish first. We want to get the maximum points possible to qualify for Saudi Arabia.”
In preparation for the all-important qualifier, India played a friendly against Maldives last Wednesday, winning it comprehensively 3-0 as Márquez got his first victory as the national team head coach. Rahul Bheke, Liston Colaco and Sunil Chhetri, who marked his return to the national team with his 95th international strike, scored.
Commenting on having Chhetri back in the team and scoring again, Márquez said, “Sunil is a legend in Indian football and the top scorer of the season. We had problems scoring in my first few games but not in creating chances, though. I think he’s a great addition for us.”
Defender Sandesh Jhingan, who accompanied Márquez to the press conference, added, “We’re always expecting him to score goals. He’s got 95 of them. We’re happy to have him back. With the quality he has, he’s a threat to every team, not just Bangladesh.
“One thing we know is that whenever India play Bangladesh, we expect a match full of high intensity, passion and adrenaline, be it in football or any sport. We’re focused on getting our result. If you’re well prepared, you can beat any team and, if not, any team can beat you. We go into every game with a positive attitude,” the 31-year-old added.
Despite the wide gap between India (126) and Bangladesh (185) in the FIFA rankings, Márquez stated that the rank is not indicative of the team’s qualities, and the inclusion of midfielder Hamza Choudhury will add to the Bengal Tigers’ strength.
“Bangladesh have very good players. They’ve had the same coach (Javier Cabrera) for the last three years with the same philosophy. Most of the players are the same since they played against Maldives last November. Continuity is important. Hamza, obviously, is a good player who was playing in the (English) Premier League. I think it’s good for not just Bangladesh but Asian football that such players are playing for the national team. I feel that the team mates will be very motivated to play with him,” opined Márquez. “We always expect the best version of the opponent. Our approach to every game is similar, whoever the opponents are – Maldives, Bangladesh, Hong Kong or Singapore. You need to know the good and bad things about them. But we can’t change our style of play. We know that if we play a good game, we will win tomorrow (on Tuesday).”
Bangladesh head coach Javier Cabrera, a Spaniard like Márquez, said, “I think it’s going to be a very exciting game. We are very motivated. The team has been training and working hard for 24 days already, which is a long time, honestly. We are confident, stronger than ever, and expect a tight game. Hopefully, we will make things very difficult for India.”
Bangladesh captain and midfielder Jamal Bhuyan, who formerly played for Mohammedan Sporting in the I-League, said, “It feels good to be back in India. I have good memories here, so, of course, I’m excited for tomorrow’s match. We know it’s going to be hard, but we’ll give our best.”
The hugely important match will be streamed live on JioHotstar and telecast on Star Sports 3.
Kick-off at 7pm IST.