Indian men football team started their CAFA Nations Cup 2025 campaign in a dramatic fashion, beating Tajikistan 2-1 in a tense match in the central stadium at Hisor. Anwar Ali and Sandesh Jhingan early goals put India ahead and the hosts were hit by Shahrom Samiev before the half-time.India vs Tajikistan: Strong Start for Khalid Jamil as Coach
Indian men football team started its journey under Khalid Jamil with a very important win. The Indian players were up against a side that were ranked 27 places above in FIFA rankings yet they displayed grit and discipline to win the three points in their first game.
The victory also demonstrated the capability of the team to perform when pressure is on, especially when there is no normal attacking flair. India had to depend on strong defence and breaks of brilliance in order to keep a stubborn Tajikistan team at bay.
A DEBUT TO REMEMBER IN THE #CAFANationsCup2025 🤩🇮🇳
Khalid Jamil’s #BlueTigers defeat hosts Tajikistan in the Group 🅱️ opener 👊#TJKIND #IndianFootball ⚽ pic.twitter.com/huCiy3Hw3i
— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) August 29, 2025
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu’s Heroics in India vs Tajikistan Clash
It was a long time that Captain Gurpreet Singh Sandhu came back into the national squad with a performance that will be remembered long. The old goalkeeper not only showed by example, but also saved a number of crucial saves.
His best moment was in the second half as he saved a penalty by Rustam Soirov, which maintained the narrow lead of India. Such strength provided a sense of security to the backline and enabled India to come out of the storm.
Early Goals Set the Tone in India vs Tajikistan Match
India took two goals in the first 13 minutes leaving Tajikistan unprepared. Debutant Muhammed Uvais caused havoc in the six minute by throwing a long throw to the box. The ball was passed over to Anwar Ali whose header was cleared into the net by Akhtam Nazarov.
Minutes later, another set-piece brought joy to the Indian camp. Uvais and Lallianzuala Chhangte were joined together and established Anwar, who discovered Rahul Bheke. Though the header of Bheke was caught, Sandesh Jhingan responded the most and tapped it with his head home to increase the goal to two.
Tajikistan Fight Back but India Hold On
Tajikistan reduced the half time gap against Shahrom Samiev who capitalized on a defensive slip. That objective energized the home audience and made the second half more ferocious.
Gurpreet and the Indian defense had been able to withstand the unremitting assault of Tajikistan. Jhingan admitted after the game, “Indian fans had waited for this result for a long time. I know we defended deep at times, but we are still rusty. We need to build on this win and show more character against Iran.”
India ended up with a win to close the score at a 2-1 to have a promising beginning to its CAFA Nations Cup 2025 campaign. The team will seek to continue this momentum with Iran being the next destination.
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