Friendly: Indian men lose 0-2 to Thailand

A lacklustre India lost 0-2 to Thailand in an international football friendly in a reality check ahead of their crucial Asian Cup qualifying round here on Wednesday.

Benjamin Davis and Poramet Arjvilai scored for Thailand in the 8th and 59th minutes as the hosts dominated at the Thammasat Stadium. India had won the last two ties between the two sides before this defeat but Thailand, ranked 99th in the world, were clearly the better side on the day. India are currently ranked a lowly 127th.

The talismanic Sunil Chhetri, who had scored twice in India’s 4-1 win against Thailand in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, nearly scored in the 24th minute but his glancing header was saved by a diving Thailand goalkeeper Saranon Anui.

India had also beaten Thailand 1-0 in the Kings Cup in 2019. Thailand were technically better equipped and more clinical while India were left ruing missed opportunities and costly defensive lapses. The Indian midfield also lacked creativity. This was the Indian team’s second defeat in seven matches under head coach Manolo Marquez.

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