Hung Thinh Friendly Tournament: India secure a draw against Singapore in their first match

The Indian National Football team took on Singapore in the Hung Thinh Friendly Tournament at the Thong Nhat Stadium in Vietnam on Saturday, September 24. The Blue Tigers were eager to build on their momentum from the Asian Cup qualifiers. Regular starter Sandesh Jhingan was missing from the starting line-up, with Narender slotting in beside Anwar Ali.

The match kicked off with the Blue Tigers in a rush to open the scoring for the match. The side almost found the net in the sixth minute when Anirudh Thapa set Liston Colaco free. But the ATK Mohun Bagan star blasted his shot wide off the mark.

Singapore's Ikhsan Fandi created an opening for himself beyond the two Indian central defenders. His run from in between the two defenders caught Narender on the wrong side but Anwar managed to track his run and deal with the danger.

As the half progressed, Igor Stimac's side grew into the game. They were able to see more of the ball due to their pressing and the passing helped them move past the Lions' defensive lines.

Takayuki Nishigaya's side managed to break the deadlock. The team were awarded a free kick just outside India's box. Fandi stepped up to take the kick. His shot deflected off the wall and wrong-footed Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and went in, despite Sandhu getting his hand on it. But their lead was short-lived.

Moments later, Jeakson Singh intercepted a move and passed the ball to Sunil Chhetri. Chhetri managed to ease it off onto the path of Ashique Kuruniyan, who managed to put the ball past the keeper.

Kuruniyan's flair bothered Singapore's defensive solidity as the former Bengaluru FC man ran into opposition players, pressing them down and forcing them to make mistakes.

Thapa and Jeakson Singh were the other two who made life miserable for the Lions. However, India were unable to carve out an opportunity for themselves.

Kuruniyan was perhaps the only player who managed to be on target most of the time. Singapore national team goalkeeper Hassan Sunny was equal to the task as the custodian successfully defended his goal and kept his side in the game. As the second half neared its conclusion, Stimac brought in a few faces to mix things up in an attempt to win.

Harmanjot Khabra was introduced in place of Naorem Roshan Singh, Chhetri was replaced by Ishan Pandita, while Mohammad Yasir took Sahal's place on the field.

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Indian National Football team shines despite only managing a draw

Anwar Ali shined at the back, managing to handle all the pressure despite not having Sandesh Jhingan alongside him. Anirudh Thapa and Jeakson Singh were also at their best against Nishigaya's side as the duo managed to control affairs at the center of the field.

Up front, it was majorly Kuruniyan and Samad, terrorizing the opposition in a bid to tear up their defensive organization.

Despite the match ending 1-1, India will be happy with their performance and will hope to take the positives into their game against Vietnam.