World Cup Qualifiers: Robin Singh gifts India opening victory with win against Guam
Robin Singh's wonder-strike in the 10th minute of the match handed an Indian team down to 10-men, after midfielder Sehnaj Singh was shown a red card in the first half, a 1-0 win against Guam in Bengaluru on Thursday. With this victory India have earned their first points in Group D of the 2018 World Cup Qualifiers (AFC).
Desperate for a positive result, India made a dream start to the game when Robin Singh provided them with an early lead in the 10th minute. A long ball from goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu was chased down by Sunil Chhetri on the left wing, before the Indian skipper cut it back for Robin at the edge of the box.
The 25-year-old Robin Singh, who has scored two goals in the ISL for the Delhi Dynamos this season, dragged the ball on to his right foot to beat a defender, and then let loose a thunderous drive that hit the underside of the crossbar before rifling into the net.
The hosts, however, were dealt a big blow towards the end of the first half when midfielder Sehnaj Singh was shown a straight red for a rash challenge. Indian coach Stephen Constantine brought on Harmanjot Khabra at the start of the second half, replacing Romeo Fernandes, as he looked to shore up the defense.
Guam, with their numerical advantage, pressed hard for an equalizer but a combination of astute defending from the likes of Arnab Mondal and Sandesh Jhingan, and world-class goalkeeping from the ever impressive Gurpreet Singh, was enough to keep the visitors at bay.
In the 76th minute, Guam midfielder Ryan Guy had the ball in the back of the net as he drilled in a rebound from a corner. However, his celebrations were cut short by the officials who ruled out the goal as the ball went out of play, in the air, when the corner was taken.
Sunil Chhetri had a couple of chances from counter-attacks, towards the end to double India's lead, but the ace striker failed to convert them. But those misses did not make much of a difference as the Blue Tigers managed to hold on to the lead till the final whistle today.
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