AFC qualifiers: Blue Tigers coach Jamil distraught after loss to Bangladesh

A defeat to Bangladesh after 22 years – in front of a hostile crowd at Dhaka’s National Stadium on Tuesday evening – was like adding insult to injury for the Indian football team. Now out of reckoning for a ticket to the AFC Asian Cup 2027, the Blue Tigers were hoping to end the last two qualifiers on a winning note but they failed to rally after conceding an early goal.

Despite being the highest ranked team in their group, which also comprised of Hong Kong and Singapore – Khalid Jamil’s men now languish in fourth position with two points from five matches. Singapore, who defeated Hong Kong 2-1 earlier in the day, sealed the group’s top spot with 11 points and qualified for the 2027 event in Saudi, Hong Kong are in second place (eight) while Bangladesh and India are third and fourth with five and two points, respectively.

The result left the resilient Jamil distraught as he said: ‘’We lost - it’s very bad, awful.”  Replying to a media query, the former international said: “No, no, it’s not about luck. This is football. If you work hard, you earn three points. We also had to work very hard to get three points.”

Jamil singled out Hamza Chowdhury for praise, noting the England-based defensive midfielder’s crucial first-half header that kept India from equalising after Lianzuala also acknowledged the performance of the entire Bangladesh side. “Not only Hamza, but all their players played well,” Jamil said. India still have an inconsequential game left against Hong Kong in their last Qualifiers match on March 31, 2026, by when they will be certain about the fate of the next AIFF season.

A first-half goal by Shekh Morsalin (12’) was enough to see the home side take the three points, though the Blue Tigers mounted a barrage of attacks on Bangladesh in the second half. Lallianzuala Chhangte played his 50th international match on Tuesday, while Jamil handed debuts to Mohammed Sanan and Lalremtluanga Fanai, bringing the two on from the bench.

After a seesaw start at the National Stadium, Bangladesh broke with speed on the counter, having cleared an India long throw. Rakib Hossain hared down the left and sent a low centre to an unmarked Morsalin, who slipped it past India goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.

India were taken by surprise but soon regained composure and began to construct their attacks. Suresh Singh Wangjam scuffed a 17th-minute shot from outside the box after latching onto a clearance, while Nikhil Prabhu had his long-range effort blocked soon after.