Doha delight for India
BY ARMSTRONG VAS Doha: Surprise package India struck once in each half to stun Qatar 2-1 in a friendly match at the Al Sadd Stadium here yesterday to get a major boost ahead of their 2014 World Cup FIFA qualifiers against UAE. The match was the last opportunity for the both teams ahead of the World Cup qualifiers. India, ranked 147 in the FIFA rankings, start their World Cup qualifying campaign against UAE, ranked 111, on July 23 and the return leg will take place in New Delhi on July 28. Qatar, who have FIFA world rank of 94 will host Vietnam in their double-leg match on July 23 and play the return leg five days later. The win was India’s biggest success in recent memory having lost all their three matches here in the Asian Cup held in January to Australia, South Korea and Bahrain under English coach Bob Houghton. “I happy. I am too excited to speak. We are returning with fond memories, I am happy with the performance of the boys. The confidence level of the boys is very high now,” said Armando Colaco, who coaches Indian I-league club Dempo Sports Club since 2000 and has taken a four-month break from the Goa based club to coach the national team. The match was the last chance for Colaco to decide the final composition before the qualifiers. Qatar went into the match without several regulars and Serbian coach Milovan Rajevac held back star striker Sebestian Quintana and Lawrence Quaye in the first half only to unleash them in the second half, but he did not field Brazilian-born Fabio Cesar. India took the lead in the 16th minute through a spot kick conversion from Sunil Chhetri and consolidated the lead in the 72nd minute through Sushil Kumar. Qatar pulled one back in the 73rd minute through Muhammed Razark. Qatar started the proceedings on a promising note with Yusef Ahmed’s grounder missing the target by a few inches in the sixth minute. The hosts tried to unnerve the Indian defence with a few long rangers and 10 minutes into the match Kasola Mohammed long ranger flew inches over the cross bar. India, who drew their first friendly against Maldives 1-1 on July 10 regrouped after the initial hiccups and set a steady pace and gave a pleasing display of short passing game which won many a hearts. Colaco’s plan was simple, keep ball possession to the maximum, do not employ the long balls, use the flanks to create space in the middle and rely on the counter attacks and the boys carried out his plans to perfection. Qatar, on the other hand, appeared to have lost the plot after conceding an early goal and despite dominating in the second half, could not get the equaliser. India were awarded the spot kick when Qatari defender Bilal Rajab brought down Debabrata Roy and of the resultant penalty Chhetri sent Qatari goalkeeper Baba Malick the wrong way shooting to the keeper’s left, much to the delight of a handful of Indian fans who had come to cheer the Bhangra Boys. Climax Lawrence was instrumental in ripping open the Qatar defence, the midfielder’s through ball split through the heart of the rival defence and Rajab was pulled up by Saudi referee Abdulrahman Amri for an unfair tackle on the overlapping Indian defender which resulted in the penalty. In the second half, coach Colaco changed the entire squad retaining only Subrata Paul in the goal, in a bid to give all his junior players a feel of the things. The new-look Indian side of the second half was more content in defending and Qatar virtually camped in the rival territory to secure the equaliser. But, the visitors turned the tables scoring much against the run of play in the 73rd minute. The goal came out of the blue, the Indians who were forced to defend, scored the second goal of a counter attack. Defender Harmanjot Khabra and Sushil Kumar plotted the down fall of the Qatari defence. The former moved deep from his own half and essayed a cross which striker Baljit Shani trapped and essayed a short pass for Sushil, the latter sold a dummy to rival defender and unleashed an elegant drive from a 20-yard distance to beat keeper Saad Abdulla. Qatar regrouped to pull one back a minute later with Razak long ranger doing the trick. Thereafter, India defended stoutly to deny the equaliser to pull of a famous win. THE PENINSULA