The Islanders who are India’s only representative in Asia’s premier club competition have been grouped alongside Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal, Iran’s FC Nassaji Mazandaran and Uzbekistan’s Navbahor.
Divided into 10 groups of four, the draw will witness teams from the West Zone drawn into Groups A to E while the contestants in the East Zone will find their places in Groups F to J
Defensive mainstay and one the most notable names in the current setup, Pritam Kotal, who has 52 caps for the Blue Tigers and led the Mohun Bagan Super Giant to the ISL title last season, believes that the Indian Super League has instilled significant fearlessness amongst Indian players. Kot
New signings Anwar Ali (40’, 86’) and Jason Cummings (59’) scored for the Mariners while Afeez Oladipo (78’) found the back of the net for Machhindra FC.
The winners will go on to face either Abahani Limited Dhaka of Bangladesh or Club Eagles of the Maldives in the AFC Cup South Zone playoff clash scheduled for August 22. The Mariners will seal their place in the AFC Cup for a third straight season if they win their playoff clash.
India was placed in Pot 2 of the Qualifiers ahead of the Qualifiers after securing a 99th position in the latest FIFA Rankings. Qatar, ranked 59th in the FIFA Rankings, are the top-ranked team in the group, followed by India and then Kuwait, who sit on the 137th position in the FIFA Standing
India's assistant coach of men's football Mahesh Gawali has said that ahead of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup, the team is showing the right attitude on and off the pitch and he has a lot of faith in the way the team is playing
The first time in 11 matches that India found themselves chasing a game, unbelievably, gave them even more impetus to get the win. Barely a few seconds after the goal, as the Kuwait players were reeling away in celebration and before the hosts could kick off again, the Kanteerava had already