Karesidenan.com – India’s national football team suffered a 3-1 defeat at the hands of higher-ranked Tajikistan in an international friendly match held in Tursunzoda on Friday. The match was part of India’s preparations for upcoming continental assignments, with head coach Khalid Jamil expected to use the outing to assess combinations and give exposure to several players against quality opposition.
The Blue Tigers came into this match on the back of two defeats at the Unity Cup in London, where they lost 0-2 to Jamaica and 0-1 to Zimbabwe. In the first friendly game, India struggled to create clear-cut chances against a well-organised Tajik defence, and the home team took the lead early through Sheriddin Boboev’s spot kick in the ninth minute. The visitors looked for a quick reply, with Lallianzuala Chhangte finding Edmund Lalrindika in the middle, but it was intercepted well by the home side.
Tajikistan tightened their grip on the contest with two more goals from Mekhrubon Karimov (61st minute) and Ehson Panjshanbe (67th) in the second half. The visitors managed to reduce the margin late in the game after a superb effort from Farukh Choudhary (88th) but could not prevent a third successive defeat in their recent run of international friendlies.
India will play another friendly against the same side on June 9, and the Blue Tigers will be looking to bounce back from their disappointing loss. With this defeat, India’s preparations for the SAFF Championship 2026 have been dealt a blow, and the team will need to regroup and refocus for their upcoming matches.
The match was a significant test for the Indian team, and they struggled to match the intensity and quality of their opponents. However, the team will take heart from the performance of Farukh Choudhary, who scored a late consolation goal for India.
India’s head coach Khalid Jamil will be looking to assess the team’s performance and make necessary changes for the upcoming matches. The team will need to work on their defence and improve their scoring chances if they are to succeed in the SAFF Championship 2026.
Disclaimer: Artikel ini dibuat dengan bantuan AI Gemini/ChatGPT yang dimodifikasi oleh editor untuk kenyamanan pembaca.
