The Blue Tigers ended up with a loss despite some positive individual performances.

India’s quest to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 AFC Asian Cup started on a disappointing note, as the hosts lost their opening fixture to Oman by a scoreline of 1-2.



Sunil Chhetri‘s opener went in vain, as two late goals by the visitors meant Igor Stimac’s men came out without a point where they could have had three.

Oman ???????? mounted a late comeback to beat India ???????? 2-1 in their opening #WCQ ???????? match at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium ???? yesterday ???? Catch all the highlights from the match ????#INDOMA ⚔ #BackTheBlue ???? #IndianFootball ⚽ #BlueTigers ???? pic.twitter.com/kAEAOdBrNy — Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) September 6, 2019

Watch: India 1-2 Oman highlights

There were a few positives to focus on, especially from the first half, where the hosts dominated the proceedings, thanks to some fantastic individual performances from the players that seemed motivated to justify their manager’s faith in them. Here are the player ratings from India’s defeat in the joint-qualifier against Oman.



India

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu – 7.5

Despite the defeat on the day, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu was solid at the back and made a string of saves to keep his side in the match. A close range save from the opposition captain’s header was the highlight of his performance. Although, he could have communicated better with his defenders to avoid the equaliser.



Rahul Bheke – 4.5

Bheke was at fault for both goals which India conceded

Playing at right-back on the night, Rahul Bheke had a decent first half much like the rest of the team. He did not make errors and looked confident going into challenges. However, two lapses in concentration by the 28-year-old resulted in him being at fault for both of Oman’s goals, where he made crucial errors in judgement.



Sandesh Jhingan – 7.0



The Kerala Blasters operator had a solid overall game, where he delivered whenever called into action, be it covering, tackling or winning aerial balls. However, he did show a few moments of weakness while failing to mark the movement of the opposition attackers inside the box.



Adil Khan – 7.0



Adil Khan had a game of two halves, where he looked at ease alongside Sandesh Jhingan in the first and was also calm on the ball when in possession. However, his second 45 performance left a lot to be desired, as he failed to clear balls and looked to be lacking in fitness.



Subhasish Bose – 6.0



Subhasish Bose seems like a player who himself is not sure of his most ideal position. The 24-year-old defender looked very uncomfortable in the left-back slot, especially while going forward, as he gave away the ball several times in a cheap fashion.



Rowllin Borges – 5.0

Rowlin Borges’ game had a lot of ups and downs, as he made many errors but was quick to make up for them. The central midfielder was quick to make interceptions and close down spaces while on the back foot. However, his tendency to give the ball away and fouls in dangerous areas invited a lot of unnecessary pressure on the backline.

Brandon Fernandes – 7.0



Brandon Fernandes justified his selection over Lallianzuala Chhangte by putting in a good shift and was crucial in maintaining a high pressing tempo in the early stages of the game. He also showed great presence of mind by playing a quick short pass to Sunil Chhetri that resulted in the first goal.

Anirudh Thapa – 7.0



As India played a game of two halves, so did Anirudh Thapa. His first half performance was flawless, to say the least. He showed incredible distribution skills by playing long cross-field passes to the wingers, that put the Oman defence under a lot of pressure. However, as the match went on, Thapa’s effect faded.

Udanta Singh – 6.0



Udanta Singh was a livewire down the right wing and had a good contest with the opposing left-back, who found it tough to deal with the raw pace brought to the table by the 23-year-old. He was also unlucky not to score the opener after hitting the crossbar from close range in the initial stages.

Ashique Kuruniyan – 6.5

Ashique Kuruniyan returned to the national side after a long spell on the sidelines due to injury and lacked any proper game-time prior to this fixture. Having said that, he was a constant menace down the left wing and also shifted as a striker alongside Chhetri in a 4-4-2 formation. He will certainly give selection dilemmas to the tactician after impressing on the night.

Sunil Chhetri – 7.5



Chhetri was India’s lone scorer in the game

Chhetri added yet another jewel in his crown after opening the scoring with a clever left-footed shot in the bottom corner, following some terrible marking from Oman. However, the high tempo of the game clearly affected the 35-year-old who faded in the second half.

Substitutions

Lallianzuala Chhangte – 5.0

The former Delhi Dynamos winger came off the bench for Brandon, with the aim of using his pace to cause trouble on the counter. However, Oman’s improved control of the ball in the latter stages meant he did not get many chances to impact the game.

Manvir Singh – 5.5

Manvir Singh used his height and stature to win aerial balls and caused the Oman center-backs a few problems. He also delivered a decent low cross that almost found Chhangte for the second goal.

Sahal Abdul Samad – N/A

Came on too late to make an impact.

Oman

Faiyz Issa Khadoom – 6.5



The custodian was left unaided by his defence, as they failed to mark Chhetri for the opening goal. Although, as the game went on, Faiyz showed good awareness and made some crucial clearances to keep the Indian attackers at bay.

Saad Al-Mukhaini – 7.0



Saad Al-Mukhaini (left) playing against India on Thursday night

The right-back had several chances to hurt the Indian defence thanks to his speed and movement in the final third. However, his lack of quality delivery inside the box left his teammates fuming. Needs to improve his distribution of the ball.

Mohammed Saleh Ali – 7.0



The center-back was solid and did not put a foot wrong after his side conceded the opener. He was astute in maintaining a well-balanced shape of the backline and covered for his full-backs efficiently.

Abdulaziz Mubarak Zayid- 7.0



The defensive pair at the back were more comfortable as the game went on, with the Indian players losing the intensity in their pressing. Abdulaziz was quick to recover loose balls and showed good concentration in his tackling and covering despite getting an early yellow card.

Ali Sulaiman Rashid Al Busaidi- 7.5



The left-back was troubled at times by the pacey Udanta Singh, but managed to contain the winger well by staying close to him and not allowing any space to the attacker. He was also effective in his passing and provided an assist for the second goal of his side.

Ahmed Mubarak Obaid- 7.0



The captain of Oman was the main man in the heart of the midfield. His industrious display made him a threat going forward and a wall while defending. He was quick to close down spaces and blocked the passing lines effectively. The 34-year-old also came extremely close to opening the scoring for his side, but his close range header was saved by Gurpreet.

Harib Jamil Zaid – 6.0



Harib found it tough to impact the game early on, as the central midfielder was outdone by the intensity of the Indian players. However, he had a better second half after combining well with his captain.

Raed Ibrahim Saleh – 6.0



Much was expected of the winger before the game, as he possessed a lot of quality down the flank that could have hurt the Indian defenders. But, owing to a lacklustre performance, Raed Ibrahim was substituted after the first half.

Al-Mandhar Rabia – 8.5

The star of the night for the Reds, the winger scored a sensational brace to deflate Indian hopes and help his team run away with all three points. Despite playing in an unnatural position, Al-Mandhar scored both his goals within eight minutes – his second was particualry impressive, as he guided the ball in the top-right corner.



Abdulaziz Humaid Mubarak – 7.0



The striker did not find a lot of chances coming his way to harm the opposition, apart from an early shot which was brilliantly saved by Gurpreet. Abdulaziz was soon substituted in the second half for a fresher option.

Salaah Said Salim – 7.0



Much like his strike partner, Salaah Said Salim found the going tough in the first half and opportunities were scarce. He was more effective in the second after shifting into a right midfield role to make way for the extra striker.

Substitutions

Muhsen Saleh Al Ghassani – 6.5

Brought on in the second half to put more pressure on the Indian backline and he was crucial in unsettling the center-back duo of Jhingan and Adil.

Mohammed Mubarak Al-Ghafri – 6.5

Al-Ghafri was also impressive off the bench and helped in maintaining the pressure on the Indian defence. He also helped his side win the midfield battles with his box-to-box performaaance.

Mohsin Al-Khaldi – 6.5

Mohsin made an immediate impact on proceedings after coming off the bench and delivering a perfect aerial through ball for the equaliser.