India suffered narrow defeat to Hong Kong in Asian Cup Qualifiers
A stoppage-time penalty from Stefan Pereira secured all three points for the hosts.
India's head coach Manolo Marquez made three changes to the starting lineup from the previous friendly against Thailand.
Suresh Singh Wangjam came in for Ayush Dev Chhetri in central midfield, while Brandon Fernandes and Lallianzuala Chhangte replaced Sunil Chhetri and Manvir Singh, respectively. Ashique Kuruniyan was deployed up front.
With both teams having dropped points in their opening fixtures, they approached the game with urgency and attacking intent. The early stages saw end-to-end action, but neither side could carve out a clear-cut chance.
In the 25th minute, Hong Kong's Raphael Lee tested Vishal Kaith with a long-range effort, but the Indian goalkeeper stood firm. Liston Colaco responded with a strike from distance at the other end, which the opposition keeper comfortably collected.
Anwar Ali made a crucial intervention around the half-hour mark, timing his tackle perfectly at the edge of the box to deny a dangerous Hong Kong move. Had he missed, it could have spelled trouble for the Blue Tigers — and him.
India's best chance of the half came in the 35th minute when Brandon Fernandes won possession near the halfway line. He released Liston Colaco, who threaded a sharp through-ball to Ashique. However, the forward couldn't keep his shot on target from close range.
Hong Kong came close just before the break when Juninho attempted a quick free-kick to catch India off guard, but the Indian defence reacted well to avert the threat. The teams headed into half-time with the score still goalless.
Five minutes into the second half, Ashique had another opportunity, but his half-turn shot went wide. In the 57th minute, Ashique, who appeared to be in some discomfort, was replaced by Sunil Chhetri, while Naorem Mahesh Singh came on for Brandon Fernandes.
A few minutes later, Wangjam lost the ball in a dangerous area, allowing Manuel Rodriguez a chance on goal, but his effort was tipped over the bar by Kaith for a corner.
In the 80th minute, Mahesh and Chhetri combined well, with the latter playing a through ball to Liston Colaco, who fired his effort wide. Moments later, Lallianzuala Chhangte made a driving run and set up Chhetri, whose attempt was blocked for a corner by Leon Jones.
The decisive moment came in the first minute of added time when Kaith conceded a penalty. Pereira stepped up, and his shot clipped the inside of the post before rolling into the net — his strike ultimately sealing the win for Hong Kong.
This result left the Blue Tigers with one point from two matches, while Hong Kong climbed to four.
UNI BM BD
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
'Hell be driven to make it to number one': Pope on Root toppling Tendulkar as top run-getter in Tests
Manchester [UK], July 26 (ANI): England batter Ollie Pope felt Joe Root could go on to break the record of legendary Indian batter Sachin Tendulkar to become the highest run getter in Test cricket after Root surpassed former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting to become the second-highest run scorer in the longest format. Root achieved this feat in the fourth Test at Old Trafford cricket ground on Friday. Root was removed by World No.1 all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for a brilliant 150 in 248, consisting of 14 fours. "I'm sure if his body allows, I'm sure he'll have the hunger to play. I'm not sure how many games he needs, the way he's batting. He'll obviously be driven to make it to number one, but I think he just wants to keep playing as long as he can. The excitement he still has to play Test cricket, whenever we rock up at the start of the series, he's always got the biggest smile on his face. So I think the hunger he has for it, I wouldn't be surprised if he can chase him down," Pope told the media. He also praised Root's 150-run innings and said it was exactly what England needed. "Knock like today, I think exactly what the team needed. Pretty flawless, didn't really give away any chances, and just played his game. And I think, yeah, the way he goes about his cricket, the way he trains, the amount of runs he's scoring now is just amazing. He's a joy to watch and see how he goes about his stuff. And yeah, obviously just keeps getting better and better," he added. Root continues to shine against India and surpassed Steve Smith's record on Friday for centuries against the Men in Blue. Root has now scored 12 centuries against India. Root now has nine Test hundreds against India at home - the most by any batter against an opponent in home Tests, surpassing former Australia legend Don Bradman's eight against England. Ollie Pope explained that England skipper Ben Stokes experienced cramping in his leg, likely due to the physical demands of the ongoing series. He noted the significant amount of bowling Stokes has done, suggesting he has pushed his body to its limits. "I think he's [Ben Stokes] just cramping down his leg, and I think it managed to spread to his whole leg from what I understand. I think it's probably just a build-up of the amount he's sort of pushed his body over the last four or five weeks. The amount he's bowled, I think, is something that it's the most he's bowled in the series so far. And obviously, we've still got a game to go. So I think he's obviously pushed himself to some serious limits so far," Pope said. Stokes completed 11000 runs in his international career across all formats in his outing against India and remained unbeaten on 77 at the end of Day 3 of the fourth Test. England ended the day at 544/7, leading by 186 runs. Stokes, while he completed his fifty during the final session, went off the field due to trouble in his left leg. But Stokes (77*) came back to bat and, along with Liam Dawson (21*), kept any other possible disaster at bay. Stokes now has 11016 runs in 272 matches across all formats at an average of 35.88 with 18 hundreds and 61 fifties under his belt. Coming to the match, England started off their day at 225/2, with Ollie Pope (20*) and Joe Root (11*) unbeaten. The duo went on to have a century partnership, building on the exploits of openers Ben Duckett (94 in 100 balls, with 13 fours) and Zak Crawley (84 in 113 balls, with 13 fours and a six). They took England to 332/2 at the end of the first session, with both batsmen having scored their fifties. In the second session, while Washington Sundar (2/57) removed Ollie (71 in 128 balls, seven fours) and Harry Brook (3), skipper Stokes and Root thwarted any further resistance from India as Root completed his 38th Test ton and went past Ricky Ponting to become the second-highest Test run-getter. England ended the second session at 433/4, with Stokes and Root unbeaten. Siraj and Bumrah faced fitness issues during the session, having walked off the field; Bumrah contributed only one over with the new ball. Root was removed by Jadeja for a brilliant 150 in 248, consisting of 14 fours. Bumrah and Siraj removed Jamie Smith (9) and Chris Woakes (4) quickly, reducing England to 528/7. Earlier, England opted to bowl first after winning the toss and India made 358 runs, with half-centuries from Sai Sudharsan (61 in 151 balls, with seven fours), Yashasvi Jaiswal (58 in 107 balls, with 10 fours and a six) and Rishabh Pant (54 in 75 balls, with three fours and two sixes) were major contributions for India. Stokes (5/72) struck tough blows on India, never really letting them settle with a massive partnership. (ANI)
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Bumrah becomes third Asian seamer to complete 50 Test wickets in England
Manchester [UK], July 26 (ANI): Indian veteran seamer Jasprit Bumrah completed 50 wickets in England. He became only the third Asian bowler with 50 Test wickets in England after Wasim Akram (53) and Ishant Sharma (51). He achieved this feat against England in the fourth test match of the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar trophy at Old Trafford cricket ground on Friday. He now has 50 wickets in 12 matches, averaging 26.38 and an economy rate of just 2.79. He also has 4 wicket hauls to under his name. Bumrah finished the day 3 of the fourth Test with 15 overs bowled, 48 runs conceded, and just one wicket of wicketkeeper Jamie Smith to show for. His overall spell reads 1/95 in 28 overs, taking into account his bowling on day two. Despite being the third-highest wicket-taker in the series with 13 scalps in five innings at an average of 26.69, with two five-wicket hauls, the numbers still look underwhelming as he was coming back to Tests after a long injury lay-off, which happened during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25 against Australia away from home, during which he took a record-shattering 32 wickets at an average of 13.06, with two four-fers and three five-wicket hauls to his name. Coming to the match, England started their day at 225/2, with Ollie Pope (20*) and Joe Root (11*) unbeaten. The duo went on to have a century partnership, building on the exploits of openers Ben Duckett (94 in 100 balls, with 13 fours) and Zak Crawley (84 in 113 balls, with 13 fours and a six). They took England to 332/2 at the first session end, with both having scored their fifties. In the second session, while Washington Sundar (2/57) removed Ollie (71 in 128 balls, seven fours) and Harry Brook (3), skipper Stokes and Root thwarted any further resistance from India as Root completed his 38th Test ton and went past Ricky Ponting to become the second-highest Test run-getter. England ended the second session at 433/4, with Stokes and Root unbeaten. Siraj and Bumrah faced fitness issues during the session, having walked off the field, with Bumrah contributing only one over with the new ball. Stokes, while he completed his fifty during the final session, went off the field due to trouble in his left leg. Root was removed by Jadeja for a brilliant 150 in 248, consisting of 14 fours. Bumrah and Siraj removed Jamie Smith (9) and Chris Woakes (4) quickly, reducing England to 528/7, but Stokes (77*) came back to bat and, along with Liam Dawson (21*), kept any other possible disaster at bay. England ended the day at 544/7, leading by 186 runs. Earlier, England opted to bowl first after winning the toss and India made 358 runs, with half-centuries from Sai Sudharsan (61 in 151 balls, with seven fours), Yashasvi Jaiswal (58 in 107 balls, with 10 fours and a six) and Rishabh Pant (54 in 75 balls, with three fours and two sixes) were major contributions for India. Stokes (5/72) struck tough blows on India, never really letting them settle with a massive partnership. (ANI)
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
England batsmen would want to take a lead of 250-300 runs, says Manoj Tiwary on Old Trafford Test
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], July 26 (ANI): Former Indian cricketer Manoj Tiwary spoke on England batters' strategy to gain a significant lead of 250-300 over India in the fourth Test at Old Trafford cricket ground and put Men in Blue under pressure. He believed it would be challenging for India to win the test match, but suggested that drawing the match is a possible outcome. England ended the day at 544/7, leading by 186 runs. While speaking to ANI, Tiwary said, "The England batsmen would want to take a lead of 250-300 runs and then defeat India. It is hard for India to make a comeback in the current is quite difficult for India to win the test match. But yes, the matches can be played to draw the match." England started off their day at 225/2, with Ollie Pope (20*) and Joe Root (11*) unbeaten. The duo went on to have a century partnership, building on the exploits of openers Ben Duckett (94 in 100 balls, with 13 fours) and Zak Crawley (84 in 113 balls, with 13 fours and a six). They took England to 332/2 at the first session end, with both having scored their fifties. In the second session, while Washington Sundar (2/57) removed Ollie (71 in 128 balls, seven fours) and Harry Brook (3), skipper Stokes and Root thwarted any further resistance from India as Root completed his 38th Test ton and went past Ricky Ponting to become the second-highest Test run-getter. England ended the second session at 433/4, with Stokes and Root unbeaten. Siraj and Bumrah faced fitness issues during the session, having walked off the field; Bumrah contributed only one over with the new ball. Stokes, while he completed his fifty during the final session, went off the field due to trouble in his left leg. Root was removed by Jadeja for a brilliant 150 in 248, consisting of 14 fours. Bumrah and Siraj removed Jamie Smith (9) and Chris Woakes (4) quickly, reducing England to 528/7, but Stokes (77*) came back to bat and along with Liam Dawson (21*) kept any other possible disaster at bay. Earlier, England opted to bowl first after winning the toss and India made 358 runs, with half-centuries from Sai Sudharsan (61 in 151 balls, with seven fours), Yashasvi Jaiswal (58 in 107 balls, with 10 fours and a six) and Rishabh Pant (54 in 75 balls, with three fours and two sixes) were major contributions for India. Stokes (5/72) struck tough blows on India, never really letting them settle with a massive partnership. (ANI)
