The Indian Football team ended their international friendly against Jordan with a 0-2 scoreline. The Blue Tigers’ defence faced a stern test against the Arab nation. Munther Abu-Amara scored once and assisted the second goal for Jordan.
India started the game brightly with a few quick attacks in the early minutes. However, the Jordanes team quickly fell back into shape thwarting the effects. They earned a free-kick at around the 7-minute mark, but the chance ended up for a goal kick.
The Chivalrous kept on piling pressure on the Indian defence with their gameplay. They came closest to scoring in the first half at around the 30th-minute mark, when Mahmoud Almardi’s volley ended up on top of the net.
Jordan made six attempts at goal till the 45-minute mark, failing to convert any of them. Both teams were square at halftime.
Coming onto the second half, Igor Stimac made two changes to the lineup. Ashique Kuruniyan and Mohammad Yasir came in, replacing Manvir Singh and Anirudh Thapa. The game got off to a lightning strike in the second half. Ashique made an excellent run but lacked the finishing. Jordan too pushed up a few notches in the second half. Gurpreet was forced to make a save in the 55th minute. Jordan made two more attempts at goal at around the 60th minute but failed to convert.
Substitute Mohammad Yasir made Indian hearts skip some beats in the 65th minute when his freekick hit the crossbar. The youngster’s curling ball landed right on top of the woodwork while the keeper seemed to have spotted it a bit late. Sandesh Jhingan’s free header from a corner went just wide a couple of minutes later.
Captain Sunil Chhetri was substituted at the 74th minute. Midfielder Brandon Fernandes replaced the Indian captain. The Goan suffered an injury just seconds later after coming onto the pitch. However, he recovered quickly. Suresh Wangjam too came on the pitch at the 74th minute.
Munther Abu-Amara opened the scoring in the 76th minute. The forward slammed a shot in the top corner, beyond Gurpreet’s reach.
Jordan kept pressing the Indian defence even after securing a lead. India tried to break on a counterattack through Ashqiue Kuruniyan in the 87th minute but the winger suffered a foul. The resultant freekick didn’t produce the expected results. The defence maintained its integrity up to the 90th-minute mark and thus resisted further damage to the scoreline.
Ishan Pandita found a bright chance to equalise in the 93rd minute but the ball was too high for him. India in a bid to square the scoreline pushed too many men forward, as a result, Jordan broke in a quick counter and scored the second goal. Abu-Amara rolled the perfect ball for Sharara who slotted the ball into the far side of the net. At Fulltime, the scorelines read 2-0 in favour of Jordan.