Even against a team ranked almost 20 places above them in the FIFA rankings, India created a lot more chances and almost snatched away a win. India started on the back foot, but broke away as early as the 11th minute when Ashique Kuruniyan was set free by Chhetri and he should have put India ahead. Unfortunately, luck was not on India's side right from the start.
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On any other day, India would have gone into the break with a 3-0 lead, because they created a lot of chances even with inferior ball possession. Udanta Singh and Anirudh Thapa created some great opportunities for India, as their movement and passing kept UAE on their toes. Sunil Chhetri had an off day, but he did register quite a few through balls on the night.
In the second half, India piled on the pressure on UAE and played direct football. They were really unfortunate to hit the woodwork twice. If India keeps on playing this way against Bahrain, it will increase their chances of progressing into the knockouts.
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About the author
Deepungsu Pandit
Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over six years at Sportskeeda. He has written over 8500 articles for the website, and has garnered over 19.5Million reads.
Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.
Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.
Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.
Despite believing in Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to create an iconic rivalry, Deepungsu reckons no one can match the longevity of Messi and Ronaldo. He spends his leisure time writing about life on his blog, reading books, and playing the guitar.
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