Overview

• India finished Group B with four points from three matches in Hisor and edged Tajikistan on head-to-head to place second.
• The 2-2 result between Iran and Tajikistan left Iran top and confirmed India for the 3rd/4th-place match on September 8.
• Playing without injured centre-back Sandesh Jhingan, India created but squandered early chances for Irfan Yadwad and Jithin MS.
• Gurpreet Singh Sandhu preserved the clean sheet with a vital tip onto the crossbar from Yama Sherzad’s strike in the 71st minute.
• Under new coach Khalid Jamil, India’s group results were 2-1 vs Tajikistan, 0-3 vs Iran and 0-0 vs Afghanistan, with Afghanistan eliminated.