AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers | India lose to hosts UAE 0-1

After a confident start against Oman, India succumbed to a 0-1 loss versus UAE, in the second match of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers at the Fujairah Stadium on Wednesday. The only goal of the match came through Abdulla Idrees who scored a penalty for the hosts in the 82nd minute. 

Now with this result, all the four teams in Group E have three points in two matches. To finish at the top of the table, India would have finish with a win against Kyrgyzstan on October 30. Also, the match between Oman and UAE should have to end in a draw. So if India finishes second in the group, their qualification will depend on the results of other groups. 

Meanwhile, as far as the match is concerned, India did come close to scoring in the 25th minute, but Vikram Pratap's shot was deflected away from the goal. UAE too came close to taking lead in the first half, but goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh managed to deny the hosts. 

Come the second half, The UAE stepped up their attacks. Later, the hosts were awarded a penalty after Suresh Singh brought down Ali Saleh inside the box. Abdulla Idrees make the most of the opportunity and scored for the home side.