The Blue Tigers endured a painful 1-0 loss to the Strength on Tuesday.
India senior men’s football team will be ruing missed chances once again after a disappointing 1-0 loss against Hong Kong at the Kai Tak Stadium, Hong Kong, on Tuesday (June 10, 2025). The Strength took the lead in 95th minute through Stefan Pereira, virtually denting India’s AFC Asian Cup qualification hopes.
The death blow in Blue Tigers’ aspirations for the AFC Asian Cup 2027 came following a wild rush off his line by goalkeeper Vishal Kaith, who took out Hong Kong substitute Michael Udebuluzor with his hands. The win virtually spells disaster for India, who might have missed the boat for the tournament scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabia.
Hong Kong (by Uttiyo Sarkar)
Yapp Hung Fai – 6.0
The experienced goalkeeper was a sharp figure in his goal. He made a couple of impressive saves and was pretty good with his passing.
Oliver Gerbig – 6.5
Gerbig held himself pretty well in the backline for Hong Kong. He came up with a few crucial clearances and helped his defence maintain a sturdy shape.
Leon Jones – 7.0
Jones was a proactive presence at the back. Made a slight error in the first half, but he read India’s moves really well to come up with crucial challenges. Made a huge goalsaving block to deny Chhetri.
Yue Tze Nam – 5.5
Nam did a pretty decent job at the back, despite being outwitted on a few occasions. He moved the ball forward nicely and won some key duels.
Sun Ming Him – 7.0
Him was a menacing figure with his forward runs, often carrying the ball into the key areas. He got at the end of some chances, but couldn’t finish them off well. Struggled against Liston’s pace at times.
Chan Shinichi – 7.5
The Shanghai Shenhua defender was really efficient with his defensive work. He neutralized Chhangte’s threat with his sturdy defensive work and came up with some vital challenges.
Tan Chun Lok – 7.0
The midfielder was an industrious figure who helped to keep out India’s movement through the central areas. Protected his backline decently, but lacked creative threat.
Fernando Pedreira – 7.5
The Brazil-born midfielder was a lively figure in the midfied. He regained possession quite often and drove his side forward with clever passes. Had a shot tipped over by Kaith in the second half.
Juninho – 5.0
Juninho couldn’t really pose that big a threat for India. He struggled to creat clear cut chances and couldn’t really test the goalkeeper either.
Bleda Rodriguez – 5.0
Bleda was not really able to create much trouble for the Indian defenders. He couldn’t get at the end of that many chances and had a quiet outing.
Raphael Merkies – 6.0
Merkies was involved in some promising moments in the first half. Had a shot go over the bar early on and saw another effort denied well by Kaith. Unable to create much.
Substitutes
Mahama Awal – 6.0
Awal added a bit more steel and energy to his side, moving them forward nicely. Struggled with India’s attacking moves late on.
Michael Udebuluzor – 7.0
Udebuluzor was able to wi n the penalty for his side by forcing the error from Kaith.
NG Yu Hei – 6.0
Added some more pace int eh attacking moves for his side, but couldn’t come up with anything special.
Stefan Pereira – 7.0
Pereira was able to win the game for his side with a Bruno Fernandes-esque penalty.
Ngan Cheuk Pan – 6.0
Helped add more steel to the midfield, winning duels and driving his side forward.
Lau Ka Kiu – N/R
ALSO READ: Hong Kong vs India Live | Follow AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifier live updates
India (By: Anuj T)
Vishal Kaith – 3
Kaith was at fault for the only goal of the game. Despite a few decent saves, his wild rush off the line was chaotic and India lost three vital points off the back of it. A horrific brain-fade moment.
Asish Rai – 6
Rai was a decent figure going forward, creating a few nice chances with his accurate delivery. He was caught out of position multiple times, but made a few nice clearances. Rai ran out of legs as the timer approached 60th minute.
Anwar Ali – 8
Ali was arguably India’s best defender on the night. He was impressive with his positioning, often getting in the right areas to stop Hong Kong’s attacks. Made multiple tackles and won his individual duels in a last-gasp tackle in the first half.
Sandesh Jhingan – 6
Jhingan was dominant in the air for India against Hong Kong. He made a number of key clearances, but was often goaded into moving out of position to create gaps in the backline.
Abhishek Singh – 7
Abhishek was quite a proactive figure in his second game for India. He won quite a few nice duels, but his inexperience caused him to be dribbled past on occasions too. He had some interesting moments in the game, but needs to develop physically to combat his opponents.
Suresh Singh Wangjam- 6
Suresh helped to bring a bit more steel and tenacity to the midfield. He won quite a few duels and did a decent job with the forward passes, but was outmuscled by Hong Kong defenders.
Lalengmawia Ralte – 6
The Mohun Bagan midfielder was far from his best, despite making a few nice passes and controlled the game in the first half. But he struggled defensively, losing multiple duels and failing to stop Hong Kong’s onslaught through central areas especially in the second half.
Brandon Fernandes- 6.5
Fernandes created chances in the game, and helped India create and win the midfield battle during his time on the field. He was good on set-piece opportunities but yes was substituted after picking up a yellow card.
Lallianzuala Chhangte – 6
Chhangte had a good game in attack,even making good runs at the Hong Kong left side. But he failed to score past the goalkeeper from a few chances he had in his sights.
Liston Colaco – 4.5
It was a topsy-turvy outing for the Mohun Bagan winger. He was a threat with his movement, dribbling into key areas on quite a few occasions. Created some nice chances, but missed some good opportunities in the game, even could have won the game.
Ashique Kuruniyan – 5
In his first start after a long period for India, Kuruniyan was quite a proactive figure for the Blue Tigers. He linked up really well with his teammates, creating a few impressive chances with his innovative passes. Struggled to test the opposition goal, could have won the game with a golden opportunity in the first half.
Substitutes:
Sunil Chhetri – 5.5
Chhetri was again India’s most proactive attacker going forward. Had a header saved well in the first half and set up a big chance for Liston, which he missed again. He linked up nicely with his teammates and unlocked an attacking dynamic.
Naorem Mahesh Singh- 5.5
Came on as a substitute but was not able to influence the game. Mahesh felt out of sorts and looked out of rhythm in the No.10 position.
Boris Singh- 3
Looked off the pace throughout the game, and was a liability at right-back.
Rahul Bheke- N/A
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