Highlights | Spirited India Hold Qatar 0-0 in FIFA World Cup Qualifier

40’ Sahal has some serious composure even in the toughest of spaces. He collects, he fakes, he swivels and plays a reverse pass to Nikhil, who tries to release Udanta with a long diagonal. But the pass isn’t accurate.

40’ Another shot from distance. Another routine Gurpreet save. Qatar have had the ball, but have been lacking imagination in the final third.

Revised statement: India’s compact defence has restricted Qatar’s creativity in the final third. They haven’t let Qatar do much despite giving up the possession.

42’ On replay that Bheke, Al-haydos clash looks like it could’ve been a penalty. I’ve seen those given. Soft, but still.

44’ India are playing what is basically a 9-1 formation.

45’ Gurpeet De Gea? Gurpeet Singh Buffon? What is he on?!!!! He pulls off a screaming save. The shot is from a distance,  it's dipping, curling, but our boy palms it out.

He does it again!! The Indian fans are on their feet! Almoez Ali had a chance! He twists, turns, finds half a yard, and lets loose from inside the box, but Gurpreet dives to right and tips it around the post. What a save! I can’t say which was better. Oh man…. The whistle blows for half time.

Nil Nil at halftime. Let that sink in. Breathe. India’s defence has held up (sort of) for large parts of this half. The midfield has dropped deeper and almost all of them are playing as a shield for the defenders, so that has helped too. They have done nothing going up front, but that was to be expected. With a gap the size of half a pitch between the forwards and midfield, the chances for a counterattack are negligible. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, though, may have held India in this game with three brilliant saves, two within the space of a minute right at the end of the half. More of the same please guys.

55’ Another Qatari chance, this time from a corner. Bassam Alrawi drags his attempt high and wide.

56’ Ugh. Rowllin gets a yellow, for what was a needless foul on the edge of the box. It on the left, and Qatar can, technically crowd the box now. Rowllin needn’t have made that tackle on Al-Haydos, but he got hassled and rushed into it.

57’ Al-Haydos shoots to the far post, Gurpreet punches it away, and Sahal wins the ball and rushes away. He takes two brilliant touches and just when he is away and into space Assim Madibo brings him down. The referee shows him a yellow. The commentary suggests it should’ve been red seeing as Madibo was the last man, but to be fair the action happened near the halfway line. He wasn’t clear on goal.

We are fast approaching the hour mark in this game. Which means substitutes will be warming up and Stimac will be thinking hard about who he wants to bring in to add some freshness to his squad. The game against Oman started to unravel at about this time. Let’s see what rabbits come out of the hat.

60’ Qatar play the ball in the box, Pedro, driving it towards Almoez Ali, but India clear. Manvir lays it to Poojary, who then draws a foul. Ting, Ting, that's the hour and the first sub comes in. Ismail Mohamed comes in for Abdurisag.

62’ India concede a cheap freekick around the 30 yard mark. This is towards the right, but fairly shootable, the angle. Mandar Rao Desai stuck a leg out. Fatigue? Indecision? There have a few of these over the last ten minutes.

Abdul karim Hassan hits the wall. They are calling it fantastic defending on the Indian broadcast. On the Qatari broadcast, they say s*&t freekick.

India got away with that one for sure. Looked like the Qatar centreback’s free pretty clearly hit the defender’s hand. Fortunately for the visiting side there is no VAR, or that would have been a penalty.

64’ India are going up in attack now!! And Udanta wns a freekick on the right of the box. This is almost a corner. Hassan brings him down. Jhingan goes up. 

Nikhil Poojary takes it, Alrawi clears. India have a corner. And guess what!!!! The ball evades everyone and falls to Sahal at the edge of the box. Sahal catches it on the half volley but drags it wide. That was the chance. There could be more though, Qatar are losing the ball in midfield with regularity now. Frustration mixed with indecision and exhaustion.

68’ Stimac lines up a brave sub. Brandon comes on for Nikhil Poojary. In the meanwhile, Jhingan has the physio attending to him. Almoez fouled him prior to the sub and he took a knock on the ankle. And the elbow, if his actions are any indication.

70’ Twenty minutes to go. Don't go buying your ladoos and garlands yet. This is when we usually stutter.

Qatar play some short corners out, but to no avail. They’ve had 11 of them. Felix Sanchez is getting a bit angsty on the touchline. Ah, what a joy to see the opposition coach looking frustrated. It is truly one of the sweetest joys of football.

India still have their heads in the game, which is great to see against a quality side such as Qatar. Brandon Fernades put in a solid shift against Oman in central midfield. He was particularly good tracking back and winning balls but also adds some quality from deadball situations.

72’ Twelfth corner for Qatar. Played short, and then back to Al-Haydos, who whips in a cross that doesn’t clear the first defender.