Kuwait hold India to goalless draw in Sunil Chhetri’s farewell match

KOLKATA: Kuwait held India to a goalless draw in Sunil Chhetri’s farewell match with the Blue Tigers in the World Cup Qualification game at the iconic Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium in Kolkata on Thursday.

The Blue Tigers dominated the first half of the game by creating plenty of chances, but failed to get the back of the net to clinch a victory in skipper Sunil Chhetri’s final match. Meanwhile, in the second half, the Kuwait side made a comeback in the game but Indian goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu stood still under the goalpost to stop them.

At the start of the game, Kuwait’s Mohammad Dahman placed a right-footed shot from the left side of the box, however, it was saved by Gurpreet and gave the Blue Tigers a sigh of relief.

In the 11th minute of the game, India got the best chance of the match when defender Anwar Ali’s stunning header just went above the goalpost. Minutes later, Lallianzuala Chhangte placed a left-footed shot from outside the box but it went too high.

Kuwait’s Yousef Al Sulaiman came close in the 20th minute with a right-footed shot from outside the box but it missed the left side of the box. Five minutes later, Eid Al Rashedi of Kuwait made a run on the left side and came inside the box to keep a left-footed shot but it was not on target to trouble the Indian goalkeeper.

In the 26th minute, Anwar Ali again came closer to give India an early lead but his header from the left side of the box was saved in the bottom left corner by the Kuwait goalkeeper. Liston Colaco came close to scoring with a fiery shot from the left side of the box but it was side netted giving Kuwait a relief in the match.

Before the half-time whistle, India attempted many shots outside but it was blocked by the Kuwait defenders. The scoreline stayed 0-0 after the end of the first half.

In the second half, India’s Rahim Ali placed a right-footed shot from the centre of the box but it was saved in the bottom right corner. In the 60th minute, Anwar Ali’s long ranger on the right side was blocked by the Kuwait defender. Minutes later, the India skipper Sunil Chhetri came close to giving India a lead with a header but it was again blocked.

Even after creating plenty of chances, the Blue Tigers failed to get the back of the net and ended Sunil Chhetri’s farewell match with a goalless draw. (ANI)