After making a winning start to their campaign in the CAFA Nations Cup against Tajikistan, where they dominated the hosts and sealed a 2-1 win last Friday, the Indian football team got a reality check after going down against the mighty Iranians.
It was always going to be an uphill task for Khalid Jamil and Co as they went up against a side who are currently ranked 20th in the world in the latest FIFA rankings.
Yet the Blue Tigers fought valiantly throughout the 90 minutes. The first half was particularly impressive for the minnows, as they showed grit and great fighting spirit and managed to keep the Iranians at bay, as they did not concede a single goal before heading into the break.
Add The Sporting News as a preferred news source
Credit must be given to new manager Khalid Jamil, whose defensive organisation and tactics were on point against a much stronger Iran side.
The deadlock, however, was finally broken by Iran just a minute before the half-time, as Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh handed his team the lead. Ali Alipour then doubled the lead in the 89th minute before the highly-acclaimed Iranian forward Mehdi Taremi, who plays for Greek giants Olympiacos, hammered the final nail in the coffin.
India did go down badly against Iran in the end, but they gave ample fight and showed great quality, especially in terms of their defensive discipline.
Can India still qualify for the CAFA Nations Cup 2025 knockout stage?
While India's chances of making it to the CAFA Nations Cup 2025 final look slim, as it is unlikely that Iran would lose against Tajikistan in their final group, they can still eye a spot in the match for the third-place finish.
If India beat Afghanistan in their final match of the group and Tajikistan drop points against Iran, Jamil's team will qualify for the next round.