Doha, Sept. 7 -- India's hopes of sealing early qualification to the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026 were dented yesterday night as the Blue Colts went down 1-2 to hosts Qatar at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha.
In a tightly contested Group H encounter, India matched Qatar for large parts of the game but were undone by a second-half penalty and a red card to defender Pramveer. The result leaves Qatar firmly on top of the group with six points from two matches, while India remain second with three points from as many outings.
The hosts, cheered on by a strong home fand, began with intent and took the lead in the 18th minute when Al Hashmi Mohialdin rose highest to meet a corner and directed a looping header into the net, leaving the Indian...