India have nine points from their three matches in the group stage and almost assured themselves of a place in the Asian Cup.
Super-sub Balwant Singh scored twice against Macau to guide India to victory in their AFC Asian Cup football qualifier match at the Macau Olympic Complex on Tuesday. With this win, India have extended their unbeaten streak to 11, out of which 10 are victories.
India now have nine points from their three matches and have almost assured themselves of a place in the Asian Cup.
In what was dubbed as the biggest match in Indian football history, India dominated the proceedings from the first minute. India came close to scoring a few times in the first half but Jeje and Sunil Chhetri were unable to break the deadlock.
India's first chance came 12 minutes into the game when Narayan Das unleashed a cross but it failed to find any striker in the box and flew straight into the hands of the Macau goalkeeper Ho Man Fai.
14 minutes later the skipper struck a long range shot, 30 yards from the post, but it went well wide off the post. A Flurry of attacks then came from the Blue Tigers few minutes later, with Eugeneson Lyndgoh going for yet another long-ranger, deflected off the post, went to Jeje, but a low-impact short from the striker went straight into the keeper's gloves.
India's best chances had come in the dying minutes of the first half. Five minutes before closing in Jeje had an opportunity but he failed to convert a cross from as the ball spun off his head and went over the crossbar. Two minutes later, Chhetri took a phenomenal left-wing cross from Halicharan, but his effort was dismissed by a strong Macau defence line.
Balwant came off the bench at the start of the second half. In the 57th minutes of the game, Narayan curled in a stunner from the left- the Punjab-based Balwant leaped high to strike the ball to the bottom right corner, well outside the reach of the keeper.
Two minutes later the Mumbai City striker had found a wonderful opportunity to make it two for Indian, and two for himself. Pritam Kotal curled in another to find Balwant, but the ball went just inches above the post.
Balwant again found his mark in the 80th minute, finding a free ball just outside the box and lobbing it over the keeper.
The 30-year-old now has three goals in two matches, playing only his third game. Marking his international debut in 2010, the striker was recalled for his second game for India during the Tri-Nation series, where he had struck against Mauritius, after replacing Robin Singh as a second-half substitute.
India will next play Macau again on October 10 at Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore.
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