Chhetri rested as Stimac names 23-member squad for King's Cup
Stimac is also grappling with injuries to few of his key players. Defensive midfielder Jeakson Singh, who underwent surgery on his left shoulder early last month, was named among the 50 probables but he is uncertain to be in the final 26.
Kuruniyan ACL tear sparks row, Mohun Bagan 'refuse' to release players for Asian Games
India coach Igor Stimac wants his players to stay compact and not concede set pieces to Australia
Denied for 86 minutes, Chhetri put India ahead with a brilliant free-kick from just over 20 yards, taking only a couple of steps before unleashing his shot straight into the right corner of the net beating Afghanistan's goalkeeper.
Anwar Ali rose to the occasion with a double strike as Mohun Bagan Super Giant overcame their derby debacle with a 3-1 win over Machhindra FC to confirm their South Zone playoff berth in the AFC Cup, in Kolkata on Wednesday.
Bengaluru FC snapped a seven-game winless run to record a 4-2 victory against Chennaiyin FC
Sunil Chhetri was once again the man of the moment as he struck a brace to inspire India to a 2-0 win over Cambodia in the third round of qualifying for next year's Asian Cup.
AFC Cup tie moved to neutral venue after Australia denies Myanmar club visas
India will face Pakistan in their opening outing at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Wednesday
Brought on in the 82nd minute, Chhetri received a perfect delivery from Anirudh Thapa but the India captain could not find the back of the net.
Villarreal youngster Ashique Kuruniyan, signed on loan from Indian Super League club FC Pune City, is set for a spell on the sidelines after picking up an injury.
Granada and Bilbao complete match suspended after supporter's death
India face tough Iraq test sans Chhetri
ATK Mohun Bagan entered the semifinals of the Indian Super League with a win over Hyderabad FC in Kolkata on Saturday.
Blue Tigers rise to third spot.
By the middle of the first half, there were pacey crosses in either direction, with robust challenges also coming into the fray which would result in three yellow cards before the half-time whistle.
This will be the second time India will face Kuwait in the tournament. They had played out a 1-1 draw in an acrimonious Group A match last week.
The win ended BFC's five-match winless run as they jumped from 10th to eighth position, three points behind Chennaiyin FC.
But they missed a flurry of chances with the striking line-up of Manvir Singh, Ashique Kuruniyan and Liston Colaco showing little coordination upfront, underlining the lack of firepower in the absence of Roy Krishna and David Williams.
Indian national team footballers, on Friday, expressed solidarity with the victims of the unprecedented flood in Kerala.
Two delectable strikes from magical Manvir Singh and an opportunistic header from substitute Sumeet Passi helped defending champions India breeze past Pakistan 3-1 to romp into the final of the SAFF Suzuki Cup.
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.
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.
An entertaining 11 minutes ensued with four goals, two at either end. First up, Brazilian target man Silva made most of Udanta Singh's build-up play, to leave NorthEast defenders high and dry with a fine goal.
Two-time champions ATK made their Christmas celebrations special, pipping Bengaluru FC by a David Williams solitary strike to secure their first ever win over the defending champions in the Indian Super League, in Kolkata, on Wednesday.
The result stretches BFC's winless run to six matches.
Bengaluru now have two draws in a row and their first clean sheet but languish at second-last with just six points.
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.
ATK MB's first real opportunity of the game came midway through the first half when Boumous broke free on a counter-attack, shrugged off a challenge from Wangjam and managed to get a shot on target. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, however, got a strong hand to the strike and parried away.
The first meeting of the season between Hero Indian Super League heavyweights finished all square after FC Goa and Bengaluru FC shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw, in Margao, on Monday.
To add to all the dismay and frustration, the luggage including players' kits, team equipment and personal belongings of all the players and support staff also went missing when they landed.
With one point from the match, the Highlanders are placed joint second with ATK Mohun Bagan on 10 points
Getting four points from two outings is best start in the league for Hyderabad.
All the results from the I-League and ISL matches played on Thursday
India captain Sunil Chhetri added another feather to his illustrious cap as he overtook Argentina star Lionel Messi to become the second-highest goalscorer among the current players in international football.
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).
Just as BFC looked set for a win, Machado (78th) struck again to ensure his team got a point.
A 56th-minute penalty strike from Sunil Chhetri was the difference between the two teams
For Bengaluru, Cleiton Silva (27') and Juanan Gonzalez (57') scored and till the hour mark,
