Highlights - India Beat Thailand 4-1, Begin AFC Asian Cup With a Bang

46’ And we are off. Predictions? We can’t take your messages, but if you think it, the universe will make it happen. Shah Rukh Khan in Om Shanti Om seems to believe so.

48’ Chhetri scores!!! Again!!! What a goal that is!!!

Udanta crosses it into the box from the right, Ashique with a gentle touch that puts it into Chhetri’s path and Chhetri takes no touches, only looks into the corner, and puts it there. That is seriously good strike. Ooof.

50’ Shah Rukh Khan is right. It has happened. The Thai looked shocked.

52’ India are suddenly playing all the football, and as this is being typed, Anas brings down a Thai attacker near the centre circle. Some muscle in the mix there.

It seems Indian football has enough wherewithal (cash money) to propagate the Kelo India School Games and PM Modi’s great contribution to Indian sport, but not enough to broadcast all the game of what it meant to be the country’s national league. In the words of Donald Duck, “hyuk, hyuk, hyuk”.

54’ Anirudh Thapa takes a corner, and puts it at the front post. Chhetri meets it with a smart, fast run, but he sprays it high and wide. That was half a chance.

55’ Freekick right on the edge of the box. Anirudh Thapa and Chhetr line it up….

56’ Chhetri shoots but straight into the hands of Budprom.

Thailand makes a substitution. The yellow carded Dechmitr is taken off for Chanathip Songkrasin.

61’ India, having heard that Arctic Monkeys song, in addition to Constantine’s half time team talk have really taken the game to Thailand this half. The Thai are really out of it right now. They can’t make anything happen. Passes aren’t sticking, balls aren’t launching. Somewhere in Bangkok a live blog team is getting a bit angry.

63’ In fact India almost get a third. Again Udanta gets a low cross in, and Budprom makes a mess of collecting it, spilling it into the path of Chhetri. But the defender reads this mistake and clears. India have a corner. But can’t do much with it.

68! India have this in the bag now. Chhetri plays Udanta through who messes up his feet, but keeps the ball, turns around and has the presence of mind to lay it off to Thapa. Thapa coolly chips it into the bottom corner. Killed it! India 3 Thailand 1.

Digest that for a bit. Our live blog team is jumping around the room now so the updates could be a little slow. India lead Thailand 3-1 with 20 minutes left to play.

71’ India are refusing to go on the back foot here. They are just not letting up. Thailand have another substitution bringing on another forward, Siroch Chatthong. They have to, and they will be forced to attack in numbers. India will have all the space to play the counter now.

For those that think possession is everything India are showing otherwise. Possession at the end of the half was 31%; now it is 34%. But it’s pretty much a different game. Jeje and Borges come in to calm things down. Ashique has had a killer game and done exactly what he needed to. Fresh legs and calm head will get us there.

81' Jeje has just come on and scores off, what we call a thudda!! Into the roof of the net.

82’ India are playing the ball out of the back. To repeat: they are playing the ball out of the back. Madness.

85’ Anas is a bit annoyed that this is becoming a stroll and so, he neatly volleys a Thai cross towards is own goal. Gurpreet knows about this, and collects.

Remember, the UAE and Bahrain played out a 1-1 draw in the first game of the group. The way things are now, a scoreline that no one in the world could have predicted, India are IN CHARGE of this qualifying group.

87’ A German comes on for India. Pronay Halder is off and Germanpreet Singh comes on. India are happy to pass this out. Thailand want to just go for a shower.