The Blue Tigers demonstrated their dominance by smashing their opponents. With this win, India finished first in the group with nine points from three wins and also secured their second consecutive Asian Cup main-round entry for the first time in the tournament's history.
India started the match on the front foot just as they did against Afghanistan and they were duly rewarded for their efforts. They were awarded a corner in the 2nd minute of the game and they took full advantage of the set piece.
India will play Hong Kong in their last match of the Group D Asian Cup qualifiers at the VYBK on Tuesday. As things in the group stand, both India and Hong Kong are on 6 points each from 2 matches, with Hong Kong enjoying a superior goal difference of plus 4 in comparison to India's plus 3.
The Blue Tigers are on the cusp of qualifying for back-to-back editions of the AFC Asian Cup for the first time in their history and need a just a point against Hong Kong to secure their berth in the AFC Asian Cup finals.
Hong Kong have also won both its matches against Afghanistan and Cambodia so far. As a result, the final match will determine the top spot, with the winners advancing directly to the AFC Asian Cup 2023 main draw.
The midfielder was the man of the moment, seizing the limelight after bringing home the three points in a last-gasp goal after being subbed on for goalscorer and captain Sunil Chhetri in the closing minutes of the match.