IND 0-0 AFG HIGHLIGHTS, Cafa Nations Cup 2025: India plays out goalless draw

IND 0-0 AFG HIGHLIGHTS, Cafa Nations Cup 2025: India plays out goalless draw

Despite both sides coming close to scoring, the match looked like a dull affair, with Afghanistan out of the tournament while India remains in contention for the third-place match.

Khalid Jamil looks to put in a more attacking approach later in the game, bringing on shorter but faster players in Roshan Singh Naorem for Uvais. A draw might see India reach the third place match provided Iran beats Tajikistan.

Fatemi comes in for Afghanistan as Vincenzo tries a last push for a win against India. The last time India beat Afghanistan was three years ago, in the 2022 Asian Cup qualifiers.

Afghanistan tries to attack through a set-piece routine but the ball lands safely into the gloves of Gurpreet. Khalid makes twto changes, bringing on Danish Farooq, Udanta Singh and Lallianzuala Chhangte.

Bheke clears for an Afghan throw. Then, the ball is played into a threatening position but a sea of blue shirts manage to boot the ball away. An onrushing Afghanistan player let a powerful drive off his boot but it whistled past the target.

Gurpreet is quick to come off his line to clear the threat but the Afghan player was already offside, as flagged by the lines referee.

Mahesh is down. The midfielder seems to be clutching his right leg but he’s walking fine.

India clearly playing the long-ball strategy. Another one is booted towards the front as Vikram tries to get on the end of it. He’s up against an Afghan player and the Indian falls down inside the box, claiming a shirt pull. However, a video replay shows that Vikram also had a fair share of pulling from his side.

Jithin MS is played through with a defence-splitting pass but a tad too much power on that. The Afghan ‘keeper comes off his line and boots the ball away.

Afghanistan seems to be in no hurry at all. Easily passing it around between the players in its backline and seldom going forward. The Indians mostly inside their own half.

Foul! A long throw finds itself towards Mahesh but the East Bengal players is brought down. Set-piece chance for India.

India looks to find the elusive opening goal to try and put one foot into the third-place match in the CAFA Nations Cup.

Despite both sides coming close to scoring, neither could actually find the opening goal as the first half ends all level at 0-0 in Tajikistan.

Balal Arezou fails to find an opening in and around the box and tries to go for the spectacular from distance. However, the shot is off-target and India gets a goal kick. 

India gets a chance in front of the box when Ashique gets a pass from the right and takes a shot. However, Afghanistan’s defence blocks it right away, and another chance goes begging for the Blue Tigers.

Ashique wins the ball in front of the box but before he could actually get to it, Hamidi grabs it. Ashique hits Hamid’s head in the follow-up and picks up a yellow card.

Kouhyar takes a throw in, which India wins back almost immediately and then Ashique tries to make a run when he is dispossessed off the ball. The winger has shifted the left to the right.

Mahesh concedes a foul after a rash challenge on Amid Arezou and then Ashique goes down, claiming a free-kick. The referee gives the first cooling break and then rules a free-kick to the Afghans.

Panahi gets the ball outside the box, in the middle, and takes a shot, which forces a save from Gupreet. The Bengaluru FC goalkeeper makes a timely save and in the follow up, Hanifi’s shot goes out of play for a goal kick.

One of India’s biggest drawbacks in this series has been the lack of clinical finishing by Irfan Yadwad. The Chennaiyin FC forward has gone down off soft challenges and has lacked sharpness in the box.

India, unlike the first match, where it had zonal marking, has gone with a man-to-man marking for Afghanistan. But so far, it has been a rather cautious approach from both sides.

Irfan goes down in the box appealing for a free-kick. The player aggressively appeals for a spot kick but the referee is not interested.

Rahimi and Hanifi try to play out from the back and then Musawi gets the ball, eventually losing it to the Indian defence. The development ends as a goal kick to India.

Mahesh and Awnar combine to attack after a failed clearance by Afghanistan. Anwar takes the final shot, which goes out of play for an Afghan goal-kick.

Irfan Yadwad tries to make a run on the counter but his dragged down for a free-kick in the midfield. India takes the free-kick quickly and then earns a corner kick.

Musawi and Balal combine along the left flank and the former makes a run into the underlapping run and takes shot, which is hoofed away by the Indian defence.

Hanifi gets the ball up the pitch but India forces the opponent back, with Afghanistan back to sideways passing in its own half. I tries a lofted cross from the left, which is cleared by Bheke. 

Mahesh gets the ball rolling, with India trying to play out from the back. But the first short lands safely in the gloves of the Afghan goalkeeper.

The players walk out to the field and after the national anthems, the players walk out to take their respective positions in the park.

“Afghanistan is a good side, so we cannot take it lightly. It has a chance, and it will definitely play hard against us,” Khalid Jamil said. “Our last result was not up to the mark, so we need to respond likewise.

“We’ve had less time to recover, so we need to be at our best. Those who have not had much game time so far need to be ready, as we might need them to give their 100 per cent,” he added.

India has played Afghanistan 13 times, winning seven of them. However, the last victory came in the 2022 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers — the only one of the four under former head coach Igor Stimac.

The last match between the two sides saw Stimac’s side lose to Afghanistan for the first time in a decade, and just the second time ever.

The Afghans have failed to secure a single point in the tournament so far, having lost to both Tajikistan and Afghanistan. However, a win against India would still keep it in contention for third place.

India has had a mixed spell in the CAFA Nations Cup so far, having won the opening match against higher-ranked Tajikistan, while it lost the match against defending Nations Cup champion, Iran, 3-0.

Faisal Hamidi; Zelfagar Nazary, Amid Arezou, Mahboob Hanifi, Balal Arezou, Taufee Skandari, Qamaruddin Kouhyar, Yama Sherzad, Mohammad Rahimi, Ali Panahi, Omid Musawi

Gurpreet; Valpuia, Bheke, Anwar, Uvais; Nikhil, Suresh; Ashique, Mahesh, Jithin; Irfan

India faces Afghanistan in Hisor, Tajikistan with qualification for the CAFA Nations Cup 2025 playoffs on the line.

The Blue Tigers have played two, won one, and lost one, against Tajikistan (2-1) and IR Iran (0-3), respectively, so far in the tournament. India is tied on three points with Tajikistan, and the former is ahead by virtue of a better head-to-head record.

The top teams from each group will progress to the final, while the two second-placed teams will make it to the third-place match.

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Published on Sep 04, 2025