Afghanistan stunned India with a remarkable second half comeback to defeat them 1-2 in Guwahati and take all three points. Although India are still in second place in their group for the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers, Afghanistan are now level on points and it sets up a tense finish for their group, which also consists of Qatar and Kuwait.
India’s next game against Kuwait will be a must win if they are to make it to Round 3 of the World Cup Qualifiers. Their run of fixtures ends against Qatar, who will be an extremely difficult opponent to beat. Therefore, they will have to hope that results elsewhere are favourable to make it to the third round.
India vs Afghanistan results: Shocking comeback from visitors
A distraught Sunil Chhetri echoing the feelings of a billion Indian fans right now 😪#INDAFG #IndianFootball ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/m7qRT42UxT
— The Bridge Football (@bridge_football) March 26, 2024
Sharif Mukhammad scored the winning penalty in the 88th minute to break all Indian hearts. The game was the 150th national team appearance for Indian captain and legend Sunil Chhetri. He marked the occasion by scoring his 94th goal for the national team. And in the process, extending a sensational career record.
Rahmat Akbari took his effort from outside the box on the counter attack to equalise in the 70th minute. Afghanistan were lucky to have the deflection from Rahul Bheke, which left Gurpreet Singh Sandhu with very little hope to save the shot.
Shortly after, a penalty at the other end was the cruel difference maker in the end.
