Afghanistan 1-1 India: Hits and Flops from the encounter

#1 Mandar Rao Desai – Flop

Mandar Rao Desai

Mandar Rao Desai got the nod over Subhashish Bose for the game against Afghanistan as India looked to build on the former’s bright start to the ISL. However, none of that transpired on Thursday as the left-back endured a wretched game in Tajikistan.

For the entire duration of the first half, Mandar looked out of his depth as the Afghan attackers kept pushing and probing down his flank. They constantly targeted the defender as they ensured that they created situations of numerical superiority.

And, ultimately, that led to Afghanistan’s opening goal as David Najem overlapped on the right wing before squaring the ball for Nazary to lash home.

More worryingly though, Mandar was often caught out of position as his tendency to wander higher up the pitch came under the scanner. On several occasions, he provided no viable option offensively, meaning that his foray up the wing wasn’t very resourceful.

Additionally, whenever accorded possession in deeper areas, the defender looked devoid of ideas and failed to create requisite space to give his midfielders and centre-backs a passing avenue.

Over the past few years, Mandar has distinguished himself as perhaps the premier full-back across the country. However, against Afghanistan, he was well below his best.