India falter on penalties against Iraq after a mighty performance in the semi-finals | King's Cup 2023

After a confident display in the regulation time to come away with a 2-2 draw against Iraq on Thursday, India suffered a 5-4 defeat in the penalties owing to a hapless miss from Brandon Fernandes.

In the match that unraveled in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Naorem Mahesh Singh gave the Blue Tigers a surprise lead in the initial stages, but the home side equalized from the spot after a handball from Sandesh Jhingan.

In the second half, India once again pulled ahead from an own goal from the Iraqi shot-stopper. But another fated penalty call, allowed Iraq to crawl back into the match.

While head coach Igor Stimac didn't make many alterations to his starting lineup, it was Manvir Singh who slotted into the center-forward role in the absence of talismanic forward Sunil Chhetri. Ashique Kurniyan and Mahesh Singh started on the either flanks.

The opening few minutes witnessed a cautious approach from both sides, however, India looked susceptible to a few nervy moments. But if the performances in the recent past are anything to go by, the Blue Tigers had proven that they were always ready to pounce whenever the opportunity arrived. And the opportunity did arrive.

In the 17th minute itself, Sahal Abdul Samad managed to carve open the opposition's defense with a perfectly weighted through ball and although there was a hint of offside in Mahesh Singh's run, the referee decided against it. Through on goal, the East Bengal winger made the first chance of the game count with a delightful first-post finish past Jalal Hassan.

However, India's celebrations were shortlived as Sandesh Jhingan conceded a suicidal handball while trying to block an effort from Bashar Bonyan. The referee pointed to the spot immediately and Ali Karim stepped up to take the resulting penalty. Although Gurpreet Singh Sandhu guessed the direction right, Karim's effort crept into the bottom left corner, leveling the scores.

Once all the hard work from Igor Stimac's men was undone, they looked vulnerable to concede against the tricky Iraqi forwards. However, Jhingan and Anwar managed to hold their own despite India conceding a couple of threatening half-chances. A long-range freekick from Ibrahim Kamil sent a few shivers down the spine of the Indian fans but Gurpreet managed to tip it onto the upright.

Both sides went to the break level pegging after an enticing half of football that breezed away. For India, the challenge was now to continue their resilient defense and not let the Middle Eastern nation pull ahead.

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Brandon Fernandes' penalty miss sinks India despite resilient showing

Returning recharged after the break, Iraq gaffer Jesus Casas opted for three straight swaps. Hussein Ali Jasim, Ali Karim, and Ibrahim Kamil made way for Amin Alhamawi, Aymen Ghadhban, and Manchester United's youth product Zidane Iqbal.

However, the changes didn't favor the hosts like the head coach had hoped it would. In the 51st minute, Manivr sent Akash Mishra through down the right flank, and the full-back drilled in a harmless-looking low cross into the box.

In what was seemingly a regulation stop, Jalal Hassan made a meal of the catch and ended up deflecting the ball into his own net. The Blue Tigers were once again roaring as they regained the lead.

Minutes later, Stimac too reacted with a personnel change of his own, bringing on Rahim Ali, in place of Ashique Kurniyan. As the match rolled well over the hour mark, more changes were made to the Indian lineup with Rohit Kumar, Suresh Wangjam, Rahul KP, and Brandon Fernandes replacing Anirudh Thapa, Mahesh Naorem, Manvir Singh, and Jeakson Singh.

The visitors were seemingly getting a little too comfortable in defending their lines despite the flurry of opposition attacks. However, the match was sprung into life after the referee pointed to the spot once again in favor of Iraq for an alleged foul on the opposition attacker. The contentious call was welcomed by protests from the Indian players but to no avail.

Aymen stepped up this time around, but the result was the absolute same. Iraq were once again back on level terms, but definitely thanks to some stroke of luck. They continued to push for the winner, releasing India had gotten into a shell. But they were unable to find a way through the sea of defenders and in turn, received a massive blow of their own.

Zidane Iqbal, who came on as a second-half substitute, was shown a straight red for his elbowing Brandon Fernandes during a tussle. But 10-man Iraq managed to hold on to the tie until the final whistle. The 2-2 draw meant the match would roll into the lottery of penalties.

Brandon stepped up to take India's first spot-kick and could only ruffle the post with his effort. Merchas Doski managed to convert his effort, giving the opposition an early lead. Although Sandesh Jhingan, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Anwar, and Rahim all tucked home their efforts, Gurpreet couldn't step in with a clutch save to bring India back into level terms.

The Lions of Mesopotamia will now head into the finals, while the Blue Tigers will have to settle for a third-place tussle against the runner-ups from the second semi-final.