Heroic India hold Asian champions to a goalless draw

India collected their first point, having lost 2-1 to Oman in the opening match

In a heroic defensive display, India held Asian champions Qatar to a goalless draw in the Group E of the Asian Qualifiers for the 2022 Fifa World Cup and the 2023 AFC Asian Cup at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium on Tuesday.

Despite missing their talismanic captain Sunil Chhetri, the Blue Tigers survived waves of Qatari attacks, especially in the second half, to earn a precious point in Group E.

The result leaves Qatar - which defeated Afghanistan 6-0 on Matchday 1 - top of the group with four points, while India collected their first point, having lost 2-1 to Oman in the opening match in Guwahati.

In the absence of Akram Afif, Hassan Al Haydos was moved to fill his role on the left and the Qatar captain was his side's biggest threat early on. But Indian goalie Gurpreet Singh Sandhu came up with several stunning saves to deny the home team scoring opportunities.

Qatar will face Bangladesh next on October 10 with India hosting their South Asian neighbours five days later. (With inputs from AFC website).