2022 World Cup qualifiers: India become 1st Asian side to have clean sheet against AFC champions Qatar

The Indian football team's defence was tested on various levels by Qatar’s attackers but the Blue Tigers held firm to hold the reigning AFC Asian Cup champions to a goalless draw at Doha on Tuesday.

The Sunil Chhetri-less Indian team survived the constant onslaught from Qatar in the Group E match of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and the AFC Asian Cup China 2023 joint qualifiers.

Clean sheet
Thunder Claps
Holding the Asian Champs #QATIND #WCQ  #BackTheBlue  #BlueTigers #IndianFootball pic.twitter.com/wj2JAdaqfM

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) September 10, 2019

Goalkeeper and captain of the match, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu stood like a wall and the entire India defence made sure they walked away with a point in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying clash.

What is even more commendable is that India have become the first Asian side that Qatar have failed to beat in 2019. 

Felix Sanchez’s men have scored a staggering 25 goals, especially on Asian soil where they won eight matches out of eight.

The hard-earned draw is less than what Asian heavyweights Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates managed against Qatar this year.

MASSIVE SHOUTOUT to all the fans at the stadium and to the ones that supported us from back at home
#BackTheBlueQATIND  #WCQ  #BlueTigers  #IndianFootball  pic.twitter.com/fhOT622KNG

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) September 10, 2019

In fact, Brazil, Argentina and Colombia are the only other teams apart from India who have walked away with a clean-sheet against Qatar this year.

India now next face Bangladesh at home on 15 October at the Yuba Bharati Krirangan, in Kolkata. Qatar had defeated Bangladesh by six goals in its opener.

INDIA: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (Captain); Rahul Bheke, Sandesh Jhingan, Adil Khan, Mandar Rao Desai; Udanta Singh, Rowllin Borges, Anirudh Thapa (Narender Gahlot – 90+2), Nikhil Poojary (Brandon Fernandes – 68th), Abdul Sahal (Manvir Singh – 75th), Manvir Singh.