U23 Asian Cup Qualifying: China defeats brave India 2-1 thanks to a last-second goal

Despite a valiant effort, India lost the pivotal league encounter against China in the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers on Saturday, falling to a goal by Naibijiang Mohemati in the 96th minute.

At Dalian Suoyuwan Stadium on Saturday, India fell 1-2 to the hosts after coming back from a goal down thanks to an own goal by Hu Hetao.

In their Group G encounter against the hosts China, the India U-23 squad discovered the hard way that football is a game of thin margins.

The motivated Indian U23 squad led by Clifford Miranda made a strong effort, but it wasn’t enough as they fell short by a score of 2-1 as a result of a few little errors in defense.

Vibin Mohanan gave up a penalty for a sliding tackle in the 68th minute, breaking the tie after more than an hour of tight play in which the Indians performed well. Tao Qianglong of China converted the penalty with ease.

However, a China own goal in the 92nd minute allowed India to tie the game. In the midst of a brawl, Narender Gehlot made a deft low drive that struck Hu Hetao of China before sliding into the goal.

When it seemed that the game would end in a tie, China’s Naibijiang Mohemaiti scored the game-winning goal in the 96th minute, deflating the Indian crowd.

Due to The Maldives’ sudden withdrawal from the competition, India’s initial match had to be postponed, making this loss all the more crucial.

India, the United Arab Emirates, and the hosts China PR were the only participants in Group G. India now has a difficult struggle to join the group after this defeat.

China now leads the group with four points after their win, while India has yet to score. India has to defeat the UAE by a wide margin on September 12 and hope that other matches go well in order to have any chance of qualifying.

Only the group winners and the four best second-place teams overall in the AFC U23 Asian Cup will proceed to the Finals. Qatar, the hosts, is automatically qualified. The Finals will take place between April 15 and May 3, 2024.

India took the lead in the game with an early goal effort by Rohit Danu, but Jian Tao of China easily stopped him.

Mutalifu Yimingkari, a midfielder for China, had to be replaced in the ninth minute due to injury. He was replaced by Xie Wenneng, who subsequently significantly contributed to China receiving the game-changing penalty.

On Tuesday, September 12, India will play the UAE in their last group game.