All the goals, encouraging displays, and ranking hikes that the Indian team had boasted about when the AIFF decided to go on a war with the IOA after the team’s exclusion from the Asian Games, eventually amounted to nothing, for as far as “progress” in results matter, India seem to be stagnant.

The excitement that was buzzing around the Indian football team after their stunning 4-1 victory against Thailand in the campaign opener, soon turned into nervousness after they were beaten 2-0 by UAE in the second match. However, the Blue Tigers are very much in the qualification fray.