India's World Cup Hopes Dented by Afghanistan Defeat

India's hopes of qualifying for the third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers suffered a setback after they were defeated 2-1 by Afghanistan in a Group A match in Kolkata. The defeat leaves India in second place with four points, behind Qatar (6 points) and ahead of Afghanistan (4 points) and Kuwait (1 point).

India head coach Igor Stimac attributed the loss to a lack of adequate practice and a disjointed performance. He emphasized the need for a minimum three-week camp to prepare the team for international engagements.

"Half of our players are unable to bring that intensity which is needed to take the game to the desired level. I cannot change that in five days (the practice time India got before the match) and I have been saying this many times over in the last few months," Stimac said.

Stimac also pointed out that many Indian players play a secondary role for their clubs, which affects their performance at the international level. He stressed the importance of proper preparation time to allow players to reorient themselves to their playing positions.

Despite the defeat, Stimac remains optimistic about India's chances of qualifying for the third round. He believes that the team can improve with a longer camp and better preparation.

"Of course, we can qualify. We will be a different team after the long camp that will come up after the ISL (ahead of the next match against Kuwait) and hopefully get things right in the end and qualify to the third round," Stimac said.

India's next match is against Kuwait on June 13 in Kuwait City. A win in that match will be crucial for India's hopes of qualifying for the third round.

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