Sahal Abdul Samad played the super-sub bringing up a goal in injury time to help India beat Afghanistan 2-1 and keep its AFC Asian Cup chances alive in their second match of Group D in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers 2023 at the VYBK Stadium.
The second-round match of the final qualification round saw all the three goals coming in the final five minutes. Sunil Chhetri put India ahead in the 86′ by converting a spectacular free-kick but the Afghans drew level two minutes later from a corner by Zubayr Amiri header.
Sahal Abdul Samad who replaced Sunil Chhetri in the last minute of the match, scored the winning goal with a fantastic grounder in injury time to ensure India remained level on points with Hong Kong.
Earlier, India showed its attacking intent right from the start but all lost in Afghan Box. The first 85 minutes saw most of the Indian attacks remaining unproductive as the they failed to overcome Afghanistan’s defensive formation. However, the final five minutes saw a massive transformation and as a result we saw the goals during this short period.
Picture Courtesy: AIFF Media
