Indian vs Singapore football match ends in 1-1 draw

The Indian men’s football team scored in the last minute of regulation time to earn a 1-1 draw against Singapore in their third Group C match of their AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers campaign at the National Stadium in Kallang on Thursday.

Ikhsan Fandi opened the scoring for the hosts in first-half stoppage time before Rahim Ali netted a 90th minute equaliser to help the Blue Tigers steal a point. Rahim Ali's goal was his first in Indian colours.

The win helped the Indian football team move up to third spot in Group C with two points from three games, while Singapore are on top with five points.

The other two teams from Group C - Hong Kong China and Bangladesh - are scheduled to play later in the evening.

After both sides settled following the opening exchanges, Singapore took control of proceedings by creating a few chances but Indian custodian Gurpreet Singh Sandhu was equal to the task.

However, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu could do little to deny the hosts as Ikhsan Fandi finally broke the deadlock in first-half stoppage time.

The Singapore forward, who was a thorn in the side of the Indian defence throughout the opening period, combined neatly with Shawal Anuar before slotting home and handing Singapore a 1-0 lead at the break.

Things went from bad to worse just after the restart when Sandesh Jhingan picked up his second yellow card and received his marching orders from the referee.

However, despite not creating too many chances in the second half, substitute Rahim Ali came off the bench to rescue a point for the Blue Tigers.

Rahim Ali’s introduction injected energy into India’s attack as his relentless pressing high up the pitch eventually paid off.

The Indian striker helped force an error from Singapore goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud before pouncing on the loose ball and calmly placing it into an empty net to keep India’s slim qualification hopes alive.

The Blue Tigers will face Singapore once again in their reverse AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers Group C fixture at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa on Tuesday.

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