Indian football ended the match with a monotonous 0-0 draw against Afghanistan in their latest group match in the second round of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in Abha (Saudi Arabia) on Thursday night (March 21).

India looked lacklustre in the match which raised many doubts and have gone five matches without a goal or a win. In a match where the Blue Tigers majorly played an attacking game, their defense faltered at times.

Had there been any other team, India would have lost the match by a great goal difference. However, they sure tried in the attacking front. Along with two corners, they got a few good chances to score even in the first five minutes of the game. However, Afghanistan were relentless and overpowered the Blue Tigers time and again.

Tracking back to their AFC Asian Cup campaign performances, India’s story looked quite similar. They failed to put out that promising display of gameplay where they should atleast have gotten a goal earlier in the game. Manvir Singh missed a beautiful chance to score in the 23rd minute of the game.

It was probably the best chance for the Blue Tigers in the first half. The India football team players managed to take the ball forward to the opposition's final third multiple times. However, they seemed flustered which saw them lose all opportunities to score.

India’s chances of scoring vanished from near the penalty box line. On the other hand, even though Afghanistan didn't even get half the chances India got, they had more shots on target. The second half wasn't very different from the first half except less attacking chances from India and a more dangerous Afghanistan.

One of the best chances of scoring in the second half for the Blue Tigers came in the 57th minute. Akash Mishra made a perfect cross from the left side to Vikram Pratap Singh inside the box. However, Vikram headed the ball which should have gone in the back of the net, wide from a very close range.

However, the best chance of the entire match came in the 79th minute. Brandon Fernandes kicked a perfect ball into the box which fell to Subhasish Boss, who missed the target from a closer range. That concluded India's story in this match - several chances, but none going into the back of the net.