Sahal Abdul Samad knows Oman quite well. He has lived practically all his life on its eastern border in Al-Ain, the oasis city in the United Arab Emirates.
Oman’s football team had not piqued Sahal’s interest until the draw for the FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers. India drew the gulf champions, Asian champions Qatar, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.
Now, Sahal could face Oman for the first time in Guwahati on September 5, as India push towards their biggest dream yet. With just one full season of professional…
Sahal Abdul Samad knows Oman quite well. He has lived practically all his life on its eastern border in Al-Ain, the oasis city in the United Arab Emirates.
Oman’s football team had not piqued Sahal’s interest until the draw for the FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers. India drew the gulf champions, Asian champions Qatar, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.
Now, Sahal could face Oman for the first time in Guwahati on September 5, as India push towards their biggest dream yet. With just one full season of professional…
NorthEast United FC
Bengaluru FC
ESPN+
6:00 AM UTC
Leg 1
Game Details
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GameCast
Lineups and Stats
When Bengaluru FC last met NorthEast United FC, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu kissed the ground longer than usual after the game. Sandhu’s coach Carles Cuadrat congratulated him with a little more gusto than usual, while Sunil Chhetri embraced him like a friend who always had his back. They all knew, without Sandhu, on that chilly night in Bengaluru, they would have received a thumping.
However, Cuadrat wants his team to forget all these details before Thursday’s semifinal in Guwahati. He is looking at…
If you had a magic lamp, and you could pick any coach in the world to be India’s next, who would it be and why? Here are five potential candidates who could replace Stephen Constantine, with the possible pros and cons.
Ashley Westwood
Positives: With an I-League title, a runner-up finish and a Federation Cup in two years at Bengaluru FC – his debut season in India — Westwood is a winner, understands the complexities of Indian football, brings knowledge from faraway lands, and can get the…
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu has all the qualities of a solid shot-stopper. He’s tall, authoritative and usually reliable between the posts. But he brings much more to the table, particularly with his clever distribution. Apart from the four saves he made against UAE, here’s a summary of his performance in the first 45 minutes, where he created three attacking chances.
• 11′ – Long ball reaches Ashique Kuruniyan, who tries to lob an onrushing keeper, fails.
• 22′ – Long ball to Udanta Singh….
Defensive lapses cost India three points vs the UAE.
India failed to take their chances as UAE handed them a 2-0 defeat on Thursday to keep Group A of the Asian Cup wide open. The scoreline wasn’t entirely reflective of the cagey affair at the Sheikh Zayed stadium that now puts the UAE in the driving seat for a spot in the next round.
Khaflan Mubarak’s first-half goal was enough for UAE to go into the break with the lead and they carried that momentum into the second half with an assured performance, killing any hope of a comeback from India with…
Defensive lapses cost India three points vs the UAE.
India failed to take their chances as UAE handed them a 2-0 defeat on Thursday to keep Group A of the Asian Cup wide open. The scoreline wasn’t entirely reflective of the cagey affair at the Sheikh Zayed stadium that now puts the UAE in the driving seat for a spot in the next round.
Khaflan Mubarak’s first-half goal was enough for UAE to go into the break with the lead and they carried that momentum into the second half with an assured performance, killing any hope of a comeback from India with…
For Ashique Kuruniyan (centre), the Asian Cup game against Thailand was just his fourth start for India.
Ashique Kuruniyan is tense. It is the night before India’s Asian Cup opener against Thailand. He knows he is going to be in the playing eleven and he can’t sleep. In a few hours, he will partner Sunil Chhetri and lead India’s attack for their biggest game in eight years.
Between night and dawn, Ashique gets up six times — and he is fully awake two hours before he normally gets up. His mind is buzzing and he reminds himself to take in the advice and instructions he has been given. Don’t be too excited….
Under Akbar Nawas (centre), Chennai City have looked the hungriest team in the I-League. Nestor Jesus (left) and Edwin Vanspaul have been among the players who have impressed.
Edwin Vanspaul had a worrying question for technical consultant Akbar Nawas after Chennai City’s penultimate I-League game last season.
“Tell us what to do, otherwise we are going to get relegated.”
That penultimate game — a 7-1 drubbing against East Bengal — had left Chennai bottom of the table with 16 points. Churchill Brothers, above them, were on 17 points, with two games in hand. Chennai’s last game was against league leaders Minerva Punjab.
Akbar told Edwin, a Tamil Nadu player who…
After 11 seasons as a professional, Anas Edathodika will finally play his first season for a Kerala club this year.
After 11 seasons as a professional, 13 international caps and more than 100 games in club football, Anas Edathodika will finally play his first season for a Kerala club. It’s a moment he has long waited for. “From the time Kerala Blasters was born, I wanted to play for them,” he says. It’s also a bittersweet occasion: Kerala is still reeling from the impact of August’s devastating floods that left almost 500 people dead and forced at least a million to leave their homes.
Still, it’s an opportunity…