3) Dheeraj to the rescue, but he fails to command his box under pressure
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India may have gone into the break in low spirits had Saudi Arabia capitalised in first half stoppage time. As they pressed for an equaliser, Saudi Arabia were gifted a penalty when Sanjeev Stalin fouled his man inside the box.
The Saudi players were already celebrating as the Indians wore a dejected look. But Dheeraj stood tall, guessed correctly and dived to his left when Mali took the penalty. The ball rebounded off the post and fell safely into Dheeraj’s hands as he held on to ensure India finished the half with a slender lead.
It was the young goalkeeper’s second penalty save of the tournament. He had previously made a crucial penalty save against UAE in the first game. While his aerial prowess has been rightly criticised due to some questionable decision-making leading to errors, there is no question that he is a worthy opponent from 12 yards out.
But the second half saw him fail to command the box and India looked very vulnerable on set pieces. And then Saudi Arabia capitalised...
