The Blue Tigers raced to a 1-0 lead with the 21-year-old centreback Anwar scoring his maiden international goal four years after his career nearly ended on health grounds.
India suffered an embarrassing 0-6 rout at the hands of formidable United Arab Emirates -- their heaviest defeat against the Gulf side -- in the second international football friendly in Dubai on Monday.
India's premier shot-stopper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu went for the tried and tested formula of defending penalty kicks -- predict a side and dive, leaving the outcome to chance.
A winless India must beat Bangladesh on Monday if they want to jump to third spot in Group E standings and keep themselves afloat for a direct berth in the Asian Cup third qualifying round.
Bagan started in a positive fashion as Manvir, who has fallen out of favour with national coach Igor Stimac, played a one-two with Dimitri Petratos before slotting it past Chennaiyin goalie Debjit Majumdar.
'It's about experience. My players were fit, in fact fitter than Oman, but they were more experienced.' Coach Stimac rues India's one-man attack after Oman agony
Better late than never! That's the thought on Manipuris minds as they gear up to host their first ever international tournament from Wednesday.
India football coach Igor Stimac said his team is capable of upsetting Oman in their World Cup qualifying opener but conceded that the visitors will start outright favourites in the September 5 clash.
Sunil Chhetri likened the national team setup with his home and expressed his relief at returning to where he belongs
Sunil Chhetri, playing in his 121st international in the SAFF Championship, struck in the 27th minute to place himself just a goal shy of legendary Brazillian Pele (77 goals from 92 matches).
Up against the 91st-ranked Bahrain, Stimac's side, which is currently placed at 104 in the FIFA rankings, found the going tough from the word go and, had it not been for a fine save by skipper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, the Indians would have trailed by a bigger margin at half time.
India remained winless in their qualifying campaign so far.
Anirudh Thapa has tested positive for COVID-19 and is under quarantine
Earlier this month, India had held Asian champions Qatar to a goalless draw in Doha to gain their first point in the 2022 World Cup Qualifiers.
Playing with ten debutants, India came back strongly in the second half to eke out a draw in their first international game since the COVID-19 lockdown last March.
The Indian men's football team will kick-start its preparations for the next month's SAFF Championships in Maldives with the first of the two international friendly matches against Nepal in Kathmandu on Thursday.
With seven points from eight matches, India finished third in Group E behind toppers Qatar and Oman, and ahead of Afghanistan (4th in group with six points from eight matches).
It was defendfer Adil Khan who saved India the blushes with his 88th minute header on a day inspirational skipper Sunil Chhetri was not at his best.
India is scheduled to play two qualifiers, one match each against Afghanistan and Oman on November 14 and 19 respectively.
Phan Van Duc (10th), Nguyen Van Toan (49th) and Nguyen Van Quyet (70th) scored for Vietnam to no reply from the Indians whose defenders had a mediocre outing, especially in the second half.
India began the year on 97 in FIFA rankings, but after two wins, four draws and seven losses, the country ended 2019 at 108
While there is no imminent threat to the AFC Asian Cup participation by the senior men's team in late 2023 or early 2024, some of the games slated for clubs and age-group national teams in the next few months could well be a tricky terrain.
Buoyed by their gallant goalless draw against Asian champions Qatar, India would be looking to register their first win in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers when they take on Bangladesh.
Talismanic captain Sunil Chhetri scored in his milestone appearance but India lost 1-3 to higher-ranked Curacao in their opening match of the King's Cup football tournament in Igor Stimac's first game in charge, in Burirasm, Thailand, on Wednesday.
Looking to lead by example, star striker Sunil Chhetri said the Indian football team is "fit and hungry" going into its opening 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Oman.
Talismanic captain Sunil Chhetri struck twice to lead a beleaguered India to a 3-1 win over hosts Maldives in their final league match and enter the title clasg of the SAFF Championships in Male on Wednesday.
Indian football icon Bhaichung Bhutia picked Kerala Blasters youngster Sahal Abdul Samad to be the next big scorer for the country after captain Sunil Chhetri's retirement. One of the youngest members of the Indian line-up, Sahal, who made his debut in the 2019 Kings Cup, has impressed coach Igor Stimac and Chhetri with his dribbling and passing abilities.
Blue Tigers rise to third spot.
Farukh Choudhary and skipper Sunil Chhetri struck in the second half to guide India to a 2-1 victory over Nepal in their second International friendly, in Kathmandu, on Sunday.
A struggling India escaped with a 1-1 draw against lower-ranked Bangladesh in their FIFA World Cup second round qualifying match in Kolkata.
SAI said the decision was taken to ensure that athletes bound for Tokyo Games, postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, have continuity in their training.
The India football captain said others players in the side are very much capable of outperforming him.
A winless India remained in fourth spot in the group with three points from six matches. India are already out of contention for a World Cup berth but they are still in the reckoning for the 2023 Asian Cup.
'If we are in the first 10, you are giving yourself a realistic chance to play against the best in Asia and then you always have the answer to how much you have to achieve more'
Dheeraj, whose performance under the woodwork during the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup in India earned him accolades, is the third player after skipper Amarjit Singh and defender Anwar Ali from that squad, to get a call in the senior team camp.
India captain Sunil Chhetri said the team couldn't make use of the opportunities, but no less mediocre was India's defending.
Indian centre-back Sandesh Jhingan feels he will be "tested to the limit" while enhancing his game outside his comfort zone at Croatian league Prva HNL.
Oman made a late comeback to defeat India 2-1 in the opening Group E match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the 2023 AFC Asian Cup Joint-Qualifiers at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati, on Thursday.
India are virtually knocked out of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying round after losing 0-1 to Oman, in Muscat, on Tuesday.
Adil Khan ensured that India at least secure a point from the home match
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