India starts the journey on a losing note as Curacao defeat the Blue Tigers 3-1 in the opening match of the King's Cup 2019.
India starts the journey on a losing note as Curacao defeat the Blue Tigers 3-1 in the opening match of the King's Cup 2019 in Buriram, Thailand on Wednesday.
Captain Sunil Chhetri - who became the most-capped Indian international with 108 appearances - scored India's lone goal in the 31st minute. But goals from Luis Bonevacia, Eelson Hooi, and Leandero Bacuna got Curacao to progress to the final.
Igor Stimac put defender Rahul Bheke and midfielders Sahal Abdul Samad and Brandon Fernandes in the starting XI as India started in a 4-2-3-1 shape with Chhetri leading the attack.
Curacao got off to a good start, but India soon stepped up with youngster Sahal having the first chance of the match in the eighth minute. Minutes later, Curacao ensured India's momentum was crushed as it struck two goals.
In the 16th minute, Curacao attacked from the right but Pronay Halder's sloppy clearance at the edge of the box allowed it to surge in. Nepomuceno's cross was meticulously dealt by Bonevacia, who side-footed the ball past a helpless Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
Elson Hooi doubled Curacao's lead with a long ball he found on the left flank. He raced past Jhingan and rounded Gurpreet to slot Curacao's second goal.
Around the half-hour mark, the trailing Indian team were awarded a penalty kick after Samad was fouled in the box by Alexander Carolina. Chhetri delivered from the spot, scoring his 68th goal to make it 2-1. However, the joy was short-lived as Bacuna registered his team's third goal.
In the second half, India tried to build some action but Curacao's defence could not be broken.
As the rain poured in, India tried reducing the deficit, but couldn't find the target. Chhetri came close to scoring on two occasions but could not convert it into goals.
The Indian team walked off with a 1-3 defeat. They will now play with the losing team between Vietnam and Thailand for the third-place playoff on June 8.
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