Anirudh Thapa scored an opportunistic aim to assist India edge previous Myanmar by a solitary aim within the first match of the Tri-Nation International Football event on the Khuman Lampak Stadium right here on Wednesday.
The Indian win was celebrated by round 30000 followers, who packed the galleries to see the senior nationwide males’s crew making a successful begin in its first look right here.
The decisive lead on the finish of the opening half got here as a welcome reduction for India, which had at the very least 4 clear possibilities beforehand however struggled to seek out the goal. Thapa discovered his fourth worldwide aim in first-half extra time when he moved as much as attain a cross from Rahul Bheke. The midfielder was aided in his enterprise by the opposition defender Ye Min Thu, who miscued his clearance to supply the possibility. Thapa punched it residence to present the much-needed result in the host.
Indian captain Sunil Chhetri, who was the one man from the ISL remaining making a begin for India, seemed out of kinds and did not recall his common sharpness on the opposition goalmouth. With India mobilising its assaults properly, Chhetri struggled together with his ending.
The unavailability of a second specialist striker within the squad gave the impression to be prompting the Indian coach Igor Stimac to make use of the enduring Indian ahead within the vital place.
The 38-year-old striker didn’t abandon the seek for his eighty fifth worldwide aim and got here near scoring it twice after the break. He was dominated off-side within the 74th minute when he diverted residence a cross from Mehtab Singh. Chhetri was up once more with a diving header within the seventy fifth minute, however this time it was the Myanmar goalkeeper SannSat Naing who confirmed good reflexes to save lots of the state of affairs for the customer.
Stimac introduced in some modifications within the remaining quarter of the motion, however that didn’t assist improve the score-line. With Myanmar limiting itself to defending largely, India put the opposition below stress with persistent raids. Suresh Wangjam, who got here in instead across the hour mark, had an opportunity within the eighty fifth minute.
However, his long-ranger was tipped over by Naing to maintain the score-line unchanged. India virtually paid the value of sitting on a slender lead in injury-time when substitute Myanmar ahead Aung Kung Mann arrange Lin Htet Soe with an open probability. The latter shot his tried volley huge in haste to spoil the possibility of discovering a late equaliser.
Source: sportstar.thehindu.com