Igor Stimac’s Indian side suffered a 6-0 drubbing against UAE in the international friendly played in Dubai. This was India’s heaviest defeat against the Arabian side and was the biggest defeat in the last 10 years.
Ali Mabkhout got a hat-trick while Fabio de Lima wrecked havoc as UAE walked all over the Indian national team. India’s defence was split open way too easily and UAE got those killer through pass and crosses to leave Gurpreet in precarious spots.
India are next in action against Qatar in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in June
Coming off the back of an impressive performance against Oman which earned them a 1-1 draw , this defeat came as a shock to many in the Indian footballing fraternity. igor Stimac made 8 changes to the starting line-up and the team lacked cohesion right from the start to end.
India’s misery started in the 12th minute as Ali Mabkhout got UAE off to a flying start and gave them a deserving 1-0 lead. Ali Mabkhout scored his second from the penalty spot as Adil Khan was adjudged to have blocked de Lima’s shot with his hand. UAE had more chances to add to their 2-0 lead before half-time but wasn’t able to capitalize on their chances.
Mabkhout scored his hat-trick at the hour-mark and started a goal fest for UAE in the latter stages of the match. Ibrahim, De Lima and Tagliabue all got in on the act before the full-time whistle to pile on India’s misery.
The result showed that a lot of areas need work for India if they have to mount a challenge while playing international teams who are ranked higher than them. UAE are currently 30 spots ahead of India in the FIFA rankings and it showed in their style of play. The Indian defence looked at 6s and 7s and Igor Stimac will look for an improvement when they play next in the World Cup qualifiers in June.
Also Read : Manvir Singh’s equalizer earns India a deserving 1-1 draw against Oman
