Afc Asian Cup

Games against Kuwait, Qatar crucial for qualification to 3rd round: Stimac

The results against Kuwait and Qatar in June will be the real indicator of the Indian football team's prospects of making a maiden appearance in the third round of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, head coach Igor Stimac said on Wednesday. India will take on lower-ranked Afghanistan in their second round qualifying match here on Thursday, and a win in the hill town will only brighten their chances of progressing to the third round, something the Blue Tigers have never achieved. "Each game is important from the aspect of self-confidence and rankings. But our priority and the final goal is to qualify for Round 3. There are various options to get there and obviously, nothing will be decided in the next two games. The matches in June against Kuwait and Qatar will tell us everything," Stimac said. This will be the fourth time in five years that India will face Afghanistan in an official match. The two meetings in the World Cup Qualifiers in 2019 and 2021 ended 1-1 each, while India ran out

AFC Asian Cup: Korean coach Jurgen Klinsmann questioned about his reaction

Jurgen Klinsmann's broad smile is part of his charm. But on Tuesday in Qatar, the South Korea coach was left to explain why he was grinning after his team suffered a painful defeat in the semifinals of the Asian Cup. Klinsmann warmly congratulated Jordan coach Hussein Ammouta on the field after his team produced a big upset with a 2-0 win at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium. Perhaps a little too warmly. For me it's normal to congratulate the other coach when his team was better in a game. I think this is a sign of respect, Klinsmann said when questioned about his post-game reaction. They deserved this win today. They were the better team, but this is for me totally normal. If you say I shouldn't smile, give somebody a smile that deserves a compliment in that moment, maybe we have different approaches. There has been criticism of Klinsmann and South Korea's performances in reaching the semifinals. His tactics were questioned and the general impression is that he should have done more with su

Pro-Palestinian chants ring out again during AFC Asian Cup game vs UAE

Chants of free, free Palestine rang out again from the crowd during the Palestinian soccer team's game against United Arab Emirates at the Asian Cup on Thursday. Similar chants were made at the Palestinian team's game against Iran on Sunday. Just as for that game, a moment's silence was held before kickoff for the lives lost as a result of the "ongoing situation in Palestine". Loud chanting had already rung out around Al Janoub Stadium before the two teams lined up in the center to observe the silence, and it started again shortly after. Earlier, the Palestinian players applauded fans following the playing of the national anthem and then held a team huddle on the field. Chants could be heard again after the Group C game kicked off.

IND vs UZB, AFC Asian Cup Highlights: Listless India lose 0-3 to Uzbeks

India vs Uzbekistan Highlights, AFC Asian Cup football: The Blue Tigers were tamed by the White Wolfs as the Uzbeks punished a listless Indian team 3-0 in the group B affair in Doha

AFC Asian Cup: Sunil Chhetri targets Uzbekistan tie to get important points

Talismanic Indian forward Sunil Chhetri has urged his teammates to look forward and focus on the match against Uzbekistan after the 0-2 loss to heavyweights Australia in their AFC Asian Cup opener. The Blue Tigers put up a gritty show to hold the Asian giants for a goalless stalemate in the first-half. But Australia, who were the World Cup 2022 pre-quarterfinalists, demonstrated their superiority with goals from Craig Irwine (50') and substitute Jordan Bos (73'). "There are pros and cons to this game. It's not easy to play the best team in Asia," Chhetri said in AIFF website. "We are not used to playing sides like these, as we don't play against them very often, so you never know what to expect." The Indian skipper, who began his career in 2005, failed to add to his tally of 93 goals but he said the focus is now on their match against Uzbekistan on January 18. It's a mixed bag of feelings right now. Once we watch the videos, perhaps we will gain more confidence and work on the th

India vs Australia, AFC Asian Cup Highlights: Blue Tigers go down defending

India vs Australia Highlights, AFC Asian Cup 2024: The Blue Tigers gave it their all, but two moments of chaos, one by Gurpreet Singh and another by defenders meant they lost the game 0-2 to Socceroos

Asian Cup: Bhutia feels India have the team to surprise Australia this time

The tag of favourites might be pinned on Australia, but former striker Bhaichung Bhutia insisted that India have the ammunition to surprise the world No. 25 Socceroos in their AFC Asian Cup group match in Qatar on Saturday. India are clubbed with title contenders Australia, Uzbekistan and Syria in Group B. You never know. I will not be surprised if India get a good result tomorrow, I mean we have the team to surprise them. You know, Australia is not the Australia of a decade ago. We also have made progress as a team," Bhutia told PTI on Friday. "Yes, it will be a tough match, but it is not an impossible task (to get a good result) for this side against them, said the former captain, who is in town for the Masterclass programme organised by Orchids School. So, can India reach the Round of 16 in the tournament? First thing first, we need to tackle Australia. If we can get a good result against them, who knows, said Bhutia. However, Bhutia, who played more than 100 matches for the .

Asian Cup: Coach Stimac wants India to not concede set pieces to Australia

Indian football team head coach Igor Stimac is well aware of Australia's formidable prowess and his simple advice to his players ahead of their AFC Asian Cup opener on Saturday is to maintain defensive compactness to stop goals from set pieces. The Socceroos had beaten India 4-0 in their earlier encounter in the 2011 edition, also hosted by Qatar. We don't have to give away set pieces. We know the strengths of Australia. They play very pragmatic football," Stimac said of Australia, ranked 25th in the world. "They (Australia) caused a lot of problems to England (in a friendly in October) and we can expect the storms coming out of them. We need to stay compact and do everything possible to stop crosses from the flanks." Australia are the champions of the 2015 edition of the Asian Cup, though they had made an exit from the last tournament in 2019 in the quarterfinal stage. India, on the other hand, were eliminated in the group stage in both 2011 and 2019. We are excited that the kic

AFC Asian Cup: India football full schedule, match timings, live streaming

The Indian football team is set to begin their campaign against Australia on January 13. Jio Cinemas will livestream AFC Asian Cup matches in India.

People should give Mahesh bhai credit for our clean sheets: Sandesh Jhingan

India have had nine clean sheets in 2023 and star centre-back Sandesh Jhingan on Wednesday attributed the defenders' success in the year gone by to the team's assistant coach, Mahesh Gawli, one of the top stoppers of his time. While the players did the job on the field, the man quietly working behind the scenes was former India centre-back Gawali. The respect that Gawali commands within the dressing room as one of the best defenders of his time and as an assistant coach is massive. "Mahesh bhai has been one of the stalwarts of the game during his days as a player, and now we learn so much from his experience," Jhingan said. "What he's done for the country is immense, it's just great to have him around. People should give him a lot of credit when they praise us for keeping clean sheets." Gawli, 43, played for India in 68 matches between 2000 and 2011, marshalling the team's defence alongside people like Deepak Mondal and then Gouramangi Singh. Speaking about Gawli, Jhingan said, "

Asian Cup Football 2024: Australia, Uzbekistan miles ahead admits Chhetri

Talismanic captain Sunil Chhetri has no qualms in admitting that India's group opponents Australia and Uzbekistan are notches above his side in quality but playing against them in the upcoming Asian Cup will be a marker to test the country's level of the game. Drawn in Group B in the continental showpiece, India face Australia on January 13, before taking on Uzbekistan (January 18) and Syria (January 23). The top two teams from each group along with four best third-place sides from across six groups progress to the knockout stage. It's a massive tournament for us, purely because we get to rub shoulders with the best in Asia. Teams like Australia and Uzbekistan are probably of the World Cup level, so you can test yourself against them, Chhetri said. What is sure is that we have improved in the last seven-eight years. But then you play them and you see how far you are, and how the tempo of the game is. It's just important to play your best, and generally it's a good marker for the ...

Iconic moments on the field await fans once again: Sports calendar 2024

From Euro to Olympics and everything else that would keep sports fans buzzing in 2024

Asian Cup football 2023: India announce 26-member squad, Chhetri to lead

India will start their campaign on Saturday, January 13 against Australia at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan

Asian Cup football: Down with ankle injury, Anwar Ali misses Team India cut

India will be missing its key central defender Anwar Ali because of his ankle injury in the upcoming AFC Asian Cup in Qatar starting from January 12. Down with a fractured right ankle, the 23-year-old left-footed central defender has been excluded from the 50-member India probables named on Thursday. A key member of head coach Igor Stimac's defence, Anwar's injury will upset the Croat's plans as he has taken a gamble to include midfielder Jeakson Singh in the probable. The Kerala Blasters footballer too is down with an injury (shoulder) as it remains to be seen if he makes the final cut of 23 ahead of their Asian Cup opener against Australia on January 13. In the absence of Anwar, the defence is expected to be helmed by Sandesh Jhingan, Pritam Kotal and Subhasish Bose. Anwar's Mohun Bagan teammate Ashique Kuruniyan, who is down with an ACL injury, has not been named in the probables on expected lines. India, 102 in the FIFA rankings, is the lowest rung side in its Group B as Stim

AFC Asian Cup football: Lusail Stadium to host the opener and summit clash

The iconic Lusail Stadium that hosted the World Cup final last year will host the opening and final matches of the AFC Asian Cup, the local organising committee announced on Monday. The tournament will kick off with defending champions Qatar taking on Lebanon in Group A on January 12 while the final is scheduled to be played on February 10. The Indian team are grouped with 2015 champions Australia, Uzbekistan and Syria in Group B and will begin their campaign against the Socceroos on January 13.

AIFF Medical Committee discuss protocols for standardized medical guideline

The Medical Committee recommended holding a seminar on sports medicine in collaboration with the AFC after a suggestion was made by the Secretary-General

India's road to Fifa World Cup 2026: All you need to know about qualifiers

India have been drawn in group A of the AFC FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers along with Qatar, Kuwait and the winner of the Round 1 clash between Afghanistan and Mongolia

Chhetri wants to face Iran, Japan; backs Stimac's 4-week Asian Cup camp

Indian captain Sunil Chhetri on Sunday backed head coach Igor Stimac's demand for a four-week camp before the Asian Cup early next year, saying the team needs to have enough preparation time to face the best sides in the continent. The 38-year-old Chhetri, who will be playing his last Asian Cup in Doha (January 12 to February 10), also pitched for at least one international friendly match against a top-seven ranked country in Asia such as Iran, Japan or Saudi Arabia before the continental showpiece. "We are going to face Australia, Uzbekistan and Syria in the Asian Cup (group matches), that is why Stimac (as well as goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu) have spoken about long camps. We need it, and I really hope we get it," Chhetri said in a virtual media interaction. "When you go to the national camp, there are injuries to players and they come with different mental levels from their respective clubs. You need to take care of all these, and to do that, you need more time," he said, ...

AIFF's Shaji Prabhakaran elected as AFC's executive committee member

Dr Prabhakaran, on being elected an AFC Executive Committee member, expressed his gratitude, and shared his vision to take Asian football forward

AFC Asian Cup 2027: India withdraws bid, to focus on grassroots development

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has officially withdrawn its bid to host the AFC Asian Cup 2027 in India, the AIFF and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) jointly notified on Monday