AFC Asian Cup 2019 Qualifiers: Kyrgyz Republic vs India, 5 Talking Points

In their final group game of the qualification stage, India were beaten 2-1 in Bishkek by the Kyrgyz Republic. A goal in each half was enough for the hosts to secure the victory as they dominated the match. India got a consolation goal late in the game, but it was too little, too late.

There was nothing riding on the result of this game for India with qualification already secure, but it was a good opportunity to see how the team fared without a few regulars.

Here were the main talking points from the game:

A goal down inside three minutes

The Indian defence was caught napping by the hosts very early in this game. With the back-four all over the place, left-back Narayan Das particularly culpable being way off where he should have ideally been, the Kyrgyz launched a simple overhead ball down the right flank.

With the defence reacting late, Anton Zemlianukhin found himself in perfect position inside the box to meet the cross from the right and left keeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu with no chance.

Talk about being pegged back early!

Baimetov lucky to stay on the pitch

Baimetov could consider himself a lucky man.

The Kyrgyz captain and their most experienced defender Azamat Baimatov was booked for handball in the 15th minute.

However, India can perhaps count themselves unlucky that it wasn't a straight red. The Blues were looking to get back on level terms and while attempting a particular attack, Baimatov came out of his area in earnest to meet the ball, but ended up handling it with a clear, raised arm.

Jeje Lalpekhlua had managed to get behind him and would have probably taken the ball in his stride if not for Baimatov's intervention. There was certainly an argument to be made here that a clear, goal-scoring chance was denied, thanks to the handball.

Balwant puts the ball in the net twice, only to hear the referee's whistle

Balwant thought he scored a brace.

Off the ensuing free-kick given for Baimetov's handball, Rowllin Borges struck the ball beautifully. It beat the Kyrgyz keeper, but Borges was denied a goal by the post.

Balwant Singh was in perfect position, or so he thought, as he met the rebound and put it in the back of the net. But the goal was waived off for offside, much to Balwant's dismay.

And the man from Hoshiarpur put the ball in the back of the net a second time in the first half, only to be denied by the referee again. As Balwant broke away from the Kyrgyz defence and scored with a curling shot into the right corner, his celebrations were cut short by the referee's whistle. This time, the referee had dragged the play back for a free-kick in favour of India near the halfway line.

Balwant and the rest of the team were incredulous as to why the referee simply didn't play an advantage.

Forwards starved of service

The Indian forwards cut a forlorn figure today.

Jeje scored in the final five minutes of regulation to nab a consolation goal for India. Holicharan Narzary's cross from the left was on target and met by Jeje with a well-placed header.

It was, however, an illustration of what was possible had the forwards received better service through the game. Jeje and Balwant worked hard to get into good positions, but simply did not have much of note to feed off from their midfielders and wingers.

Stephen Constantine went with a midfield combination of Mohammed Rafique and Rowllin Borges for this game, but the duo could not hold any semblance of possession and gave the ball away far too easily. Rafique was wasteful with his passing and while Borges might have hit the woodwork once and forced a good save off the keeper another time, as a defensive shield he offered no protection.

The wide men, Udanta Singh and Narzary too were disappointing. Len Doungel came on for Udanta in the second half and missed a glorious chance to play a pass through to Jeje in a promising position, choosing to take a wild shot instead.

Unbeaten record comes to an end

India's unbeaten record has finally come to an end.

This match ended 2-1, but could have easily been a bigger win for the Kyrgyz Republic.

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu made a ton of saves to keep the hosts at bay while India also benefited from the hosts' profligacy in front of goal.

When these two teams met in Bangalore a year ago, India had to absorb a lot of pressure from the Kyrgyz who dominated many parts of the game. And it was no different in this match, as barring a 25-minute period in the first half, it was all Kyrgyz Republic.

What will worry Constantine is how easily they were able to get behind the Indian defence. The back-four of Sandesh Jhingan, Anas Edathodika, Narayan Das and debutant Lalruatthara was continuously breached by the hosts. The defence looked in sixes and sevens and were broken down with ease.

The result meant the end of a 13-game unbeaten run for India as well as a 5-game unbeaten run away from home. The game will certainly give coach Constantine much food for thought.