Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
India’s struggles under new head coach Khalid Jamil continued as the Blue Tigers suffered a 1-3 defeat against higher-ranked Tajikistan in the first of two international football friendlies at the TALCO Arena in Tursunzoda on Friday.
The loss marked India’s third consecutive defeat in international friendlies, following their disappointing campaign at the Unity Cup 2026 in London, where they went down 0-2 to Jamaica and 0-1 to Zimbabwe without scoring a goal.
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Tajikistan took control of the contest early when Sheriddin Boboev converted a penalty in the ninth minute to hand the hosts the lead. India struggled to create meaningful openings in the first half against a disciplined Tajik defense and went into the break trailing by a goal.
The hosts tightened their grip on the match after the restart, adding two more goals within a six-minute spell. Mekhrubon Karimov doubled Tajikistan’s advantage in the 61st minute before Ehson Panjshanbe effectively sealed the result with a third goal in the 67th minute.
India showed some fight in the closing stages and managed to pull one back through substitute Farukh Choudhary. The forward produced an excellent finish from a free-kick in the 88th minute to register India’s first goal in their last three matches, but it proved to be little more than a consolation.
The friendly formed part of India’s preparations for upcoming continental assignments, with Jamil continuing to assess his squad and experiment with combinations against quality opposition.
Despite the defeat, the Indian coach will take some positives from the second-half response as his side attempted to push forward after the break. However, defensive lapses and a lack of cutting edge in attack once again proved costly against a well-organised Tajikistan outfit.
The two teams will meet again in the second and final friendly on June 9, giving India another opportunity to end their losing run and build momentum ahead of future international commitments.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
