India managed to snatch a late equaliser to avoid a humiliating loss against Bangladesh in the FIFA World Cup Qualifer at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Tuesday.
Trailing 1-0 at half-time to a team ranked 103 places below them in the FIFA rankings, India managed to level scores in the 89th minute, with Adil Khan's glancing header off a corner finding the back of the net.
Both skipper Sunil Chhetri and forward Manvir Singh had great chances to score the winner in the dying minutes of the game but Bangladesh managed to keep them at bay to earn a deserved draw.
After holding Asian champions Qatar to a brilliant goal-less draw in their last FIFA World Cup qualifier, the Blue Tigers were expected to start strongly against Bangladesh. But it was the Bangla boys who took the lead against the run of play in the 42nd minute.
Indian defender Rahul Bheke conceded a free-kick in the midfield and Bangladesh captain Jamal Bhuyan stepped up to take it. Indian custodian Gurpreet Singh Sandhu came off the goal-line to clear Bhuyan's long cross but missed it completely, allowing Saad Uddin to steer a diving header into the net.
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Bangladesh, in fact, had a chance to go ahead as early as the first minute of the match when the referee failed to notice what seemed like a clear penalty, after Bheke brought down Mohammed Ibrahim inside the box.
However, it was India that had the first shot at goal, with talismanic captain Chhetri volleying the ball to the Bangladesh goalkeeper Ashraful Rana in the fourth minute of the match.
India were content with sending those long hopeful balls into the opposition's half rather than holding the ball and stitching short passes and build up play, which they did effectively in their earlier matches against Oman and Qatar.
India survived a scare in the 32nd minute when Adil Khan made a mess of a back pass but Anas Edathodika came to the rescue. But, Khan managed to make amends in the second half, making a goal-line clearance after Sandhu messed up yet again.
Bangladesh looked more threatening and could have easily doubled the lead in the 54th minute when the right-winger Ibrahim's shot hit the crosspiece.
India had lost to Oman 1-2 in their opening match before holding Asian champions Qatar to a goal-less draw. They now have two points from three matches, while Bangladesh stay at the bottom with one point from three games.
The 104-ranked India thus are yet to win against Bangladesh after 1999 when the Blue Tigers won 1-0 in the SAFF Games.
Bangladesh stay unbeaten from three matches against India. The last two matches between the two teams, in 2013 and 2014, ended in 1-1 and 2-2 draws respectively, with Chhetri scoring injury-time equalisers in both the matches.
(With PTI inputs)
