PATHUM THANI (THAILAND): A lacklustre India lost 0-2 against Thailand in an international football friendly in a reality check ahead of their crucial Asian Cup qualifying round match on Wednesday.
Benjamin Davis and Poramet Arjvilai scored for Thailand in the 8th and 59th minute respectively as the home side dominated the match at the Thammasat Stadium.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!India had won the last two matches between the two sides before Wednesday's defeat but Thailand, ranked 99th in the world, were clearly the better side on the day.
India are currently ranked a lowly 127th.
The talismanic Sunil Chhetri, who had scored twice in India's 4-1 win against Thailand in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, nearly scored in the 24th minute but his glancing header was saved by a diving Thailand goalkeeper Saranon Anui.
India had also beaten Thailand 1-0 in the Kings Cup in 2019.
Thailand were technically bettered equipped and more clinical while India were left ruing missed opportunities and costly defensive lapses. The Indian midfield also lacked creativity.
This was the Indian team's second defeat in seven matches under head coach Manolo Marquez, the last one being 0-3 loss to Syria in the Intercontinental Cup last year in Hyderabad.
Out of the five remaining matches under his charge, four were drawn games while the lone win came against Maldives (3-0) in March in an international friendly.
Thailand made their early dominance count. Phitiwat Sookjitthammakul found Korawich Tasa near the edge of the Indian box in the eighth minute. Tasa smartly laid it off for Ben Davis, who took a deft first touch to steady himself before unleashing a thunderous right-footed shot past Indian goalkeeper Vishal Kaith.
It was Davis’ fourth goal in seven appearances for Thailand, and the Indian backline was left exposed, reacting too late to close him down.
India gradually grew into the game, using the width of the pitch to stretch the Thailand defence. Liston Colaco, operating fluently between midfield and the left flank, was a standout performer, linking up well with Sunil Chhetri and forward Ashique Kuruniyan.
India's first opportunity to level the score in the first half came in the 24th minute. Colaco delivered a teasing free-kick from the left which Chhetri met with a clever header, timing his run perfectly to get ahead of his marker. However, Thailand goalkeeper Saranon Anuin dived to his left to pull off a sharp save.
Thailand continued to pose threat on the Indian citadel, with long-range efforts from Korawich Tasa and Arjvilai narrowly missing the target.
The momentum began to shift slightly in India’s favour as the half wore on. Abhishek came close with a driven shot from distance that missed the horizontal by inches in the 40th minute.
But the golden opportunity arrived in first-half stoppage time. Chhetri played a sublime through ball from midfield to find Colaco’s run, splitting the Thai defence. Colaco brought the ball under control but couldn’t finish the one-on-one chance as Anuin narrowed the angle to eventually thwart the danger with a timely save.
In the 59th minute, a miss pass in the midfield gifted Thailand ball possession. The ball was quickly fed to Arjvilai on the left flank. Spotting Vishal Kaith slightly off his line after sidestepping Ashish Rai, Arjvilai curled a magnificent effort into the top-right corner to double Thailand’s lead and deflate Indian hopes.
Substitute Lallianzuala Chhangte got a fine chance in the 80th minute but his left footer went just wide of the upright.
The Changsuek, meanwhile, looked to exploit the spaces India left behind and could have added a third if not for a crucial intervention by Anwar Ali, who threw himself in front of a goal-bound shot in the dying moments.
The match was part of preparation for India's crucial AFC Asian Cup qualifying round match against Hong Kong on June 10 in Kowloon.
The same was also the case for Thailand as they face Turkmenistan in their AFC Asian Cup final round qualifier.
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