AFC Asian Cup: India 4 -1 Thailand, 5 takeaways from the game

#5 India could actually qualify for the knockout stages

India won their first game in 55 years and will not stop there as they eye the knockout stages

India did not have high hopes from the tournament. Despite having a higher rank than two of the other three teams in their group, India has far lesser resources and developmental programs to keep up with the likes of Bahrain and Thailand.

Filled with youth and energy, Thailand expected to make quick work of India. But instead, they got thrashed 4-1 and will wonder how they lost a game they were so confident of winning. The answer was a strong performance from the entire team of India and the manner in which they worked as a cohesive unit.

With the Constantine controversy surrounding the team before the tournament, many feared that it would affect the performance of the team.

But, India did not slow down, they continued to run rampant past teams as the likes of Chhetri, Thapa, Udanta and Jhingan shined for India. They proved that they could potentially qualify for the Round of 16 and reach further in the tournament.

After picking up the first victory since 1964, they will hope to pick up inspiration from that very '64 campaign where India finished runners-up. With Bahrain and UAE drawing against each other, a win from any of the remaining two games could potentially be enough to reach the knockout stages. A third-place finish could also see the Blue Tigers progress as the top 4 teams that are placed third qualify for the Round of 16.