India Aims for Redemption in AFC Asian Cup Clash Against Uzbekistan

India will want to make a bigger impression than they did in the first game of the AFC Asian Cup when they play Uzbekistan in their second Group B encounter on Thursday at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, after a gritted victory over the tough Australians.

In the first game on January 13, India fell short of champions Australia 2-0 after keeping the Socceroos off the board for 50 minutes. Even though the Australians were playing at their most offensive level, Sunil Chhetri's team was able to narrow the losing deficit.

The Indians will aim to maintain their defensive compactness, particularly in the first half, against the Uzbeks, who are feeling a little let down after drawing goallessly with Syria in their first game.

Chhetri said that the Central Asian team, which is rated 68th in the world compared to India's 102nd, would not be as formidable as the Australians, and that his ideas may indicate his team's strategy.

"They may not be Australia, but Uzbekistan is still a promising side. Thus, this game would also provide a significant challenge," Chhetri had said the other day.

It is a crucial game for us. The lads had a great time in the first game, and this is going to be another tough one. Head coach Igor Stimac said at the pre-game press conference on Wednesday, "We expect Uzbekistan to put a lot of pressure on us since they are a very competitive side and they did not gain a victory in their last game."

However, our lads are up to the task. We are grateful for the chance we have in front of us, and we will approach the game with the goal of winning and scoring three points," he said.

India will undoubtedly not back down from Uzbekistan. Rather, they would try to play their own game and make fast transitions in order to counterattack. Players like Manvir Singh and Chhetri could be searching for opportunities against the Australians that were few.

In their most recent match, Uzbekistan controlled 65% of the possession and several attempts on goal against Syria. However, the Syrians are a physically stronger team that used a 4-4-2 style and potent counterattacks. But this game is going to be unique," Stimac thought.

The Croat stressed the need of adopting an offensive mentality while playing. We are seeking guys that are more aggressive in their games. We also demonstrated against Australia that we were capable of finding the flanks rather than merely clearing the ball.

Sandesh Jhingan, a senior professional, will be the main man in defense as usual. Leading an excellent Indian defensive effort in the first game, Jhingan was a real fighter on the field. With his forehead bandaged and the wounds above each eyebrow sewn up, he continued as usual.

In the last year, Uzbekistan has drawn with Iran and Mexico and defeated teams like China, Oman, and Bolivia. According to FIFA rankings, they are presently ranked ninth out of all Asian nations.

In their eight meetings, India and Uzbekistan have only won one match apiece for the Blue Tigers. Five of the matches were won by Uzbekistan, while two resulted in draws. The Uzbeks prevailed 2-1 in their most recent meeting, which took place in the 2001 Merdeka Cup in Kuala Lumpur.

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