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

The Indians were pegged back from the very start.

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.

Edited by Soumo Ghosh