India U-23 0-2 Pakistan U-23 – Five talking points

Robin was missed

Robin Singh was suspended today due to his sending off in the first match

The Bengaluru FC striker does often get criticised for his poor finishing and somewhat arrogant style but on the evidence of Wednesday’s game, India certainly missed him. Robin’s style of play may not be pleasing on the eye as he commits too many fouls and doesn’t have the best of first-touches. But his height and physical presence does cause problems to at least teams of the sub-continent. His replacement Thongkhosiem Haokip was a big flop as he not only wasted a golden opportunity after being played through on goal by Sunil but also failed to win the majority of his aerial duels with the Pakistan centre-backs. Haokip should get better with time as he has shown a lot of promise in the I-League but the Pune FC youngster is not ready for international football yet. Like it or not, Robin has to be regular starter for India U-23.