CAFA Cup: India stay in line for third place finish, but worries remain

India kept their date with a third place play-off in the CAFA Nations Cup 2025 alright, but their failure to snatch full points against Afghanistan in their last league game in Hisor, Tajikistan will bug their fans again. A goalless draw against the Lions of Khorasan was all that they managed – though they should have done better against a team which spoiled their dreams of progressing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers last year by inflicting a 2-1 defeat in Guwahati.

The Blue Tigers had to wait for the second match of the evening between their group toppers Iran and Tajikistan, which ended in a 2-2 draw, to learn their fate. Khalid Jamil’s men finished Group B in second place with four points (a win, a loss and a draw) while Iran topped with seven points from three matches each.

Hosts Tajikistan (four points) and Afghanistan, meanwhile, were knocked out of the tournament. India finished ahead of Tajikistan by virtue of a better head-to-head record after beating them 2-1 in the first match. India will now play the third place match at the same venue on Monday, 8 September, and their opponents will be the second place finishers in Group A.

As things stand, it could be either of Oman and Uzbekistan who are locked on four points apiece, occupying the top two spots in the group; same goal difference (+1), and have scored the same number of goals in their two matches (3). Oman play Turkmenistan while Uzbekistan face Kyrgyz Republic on the last matchday of Group A on Friday.

 The physically strong Afghanistan side started the India game on the offensive but India created more clear chances in the opening exchanges on the counter. A little after the quarter-hour mark, Ashique Kuruniyan managed to break through behind on the left and cut it back for Irfan Yadwad, who missed his shot.

India goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu rose to the occasion, like many a time over the past week, when he made a smart save off of a long shot by Ali Reza Panahi. Minutes later, Yadwad was played through into the Afghanistan box, but his eventual shot went wide of the far post.

India gained more control of the game after the change of ends, head coach Khalid Jamil opting to introduce Manvir Singh (Jr) and Vikram Partap Singh into the fray but profligacy came into play. This is an era where they need to be sharper in the remaining game – and a possible third place finish can boost their morale ahead of India’s upcoming AFC Asian Cup final round Qualifier Group C home fixture against Singapore on 14 October.

 The match will take place at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Goa, a venue with a rich history of staging major international and domestic football encounters.