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

The Indians were pegged back from the very start.

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

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.

Edited by Soumo Ghosh