A draw against Bahrain in their final group league match will be enough for India to qualify for the round of 16 for the first time in the continent's showpiece event after failed attempts in 1984 and 2011.
India a step closer to 2019 Asian Cup
India's national football coach Stephen Constantine on Friday anointed towering goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu as captain for Saturday's international friendly against higher-ranked Puerto Rico at the suburban Andheri Sports Complex ground in Mumbai. "Gurpreet Singh Sandhu will captain the team on Saturday against Puerto Rico," Constantine announced at the fag end of the pre-match media conference to give a huge boost to the 24-year-old, one of the youngest players to lead the national football team.
FC Goa became the second Hero Indian Super League side to book their place in the play-offs after a convincing 3-0 win over Kerala Blasters FC in Margao Monday.
The fairy tale run of Real Kashmir Football Club in the I-League continued as the club from the Valley defeated Gokulam Kerala FC by a solitary goal to jump to top of the I-League.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Sunday
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Tuesday
Kerala Blasters struck the match-winner deep into the extra time in a thrilling second leg semi-final to book a berth for the summit clash of the inaugural Hero Indian Super League football tournament on 4-3 aggregate over Chennaiyin FC on Tuesday.
An acid test awaits the Indian football team as they host higher-ranked Oman in the second round opening match of the AFC qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Bengaluru on Thursday.
P V Sindhu opens her campaign in the China Open women's singles against Evgeniya Kosetskaya of Russia, in Fuzhou, China, on Tuesday.
But how much has the national team actually improved?
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Sunday
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
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