In his 150th international match, India's captain Sunil Chhetri scored a goal, giving India the lead. However, the team conceded two late goals to Afghanistan, leading to an unexpected defeat in a Round 2 match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 Preliminary Joint Qualifiers held on Tuesday.
Despite drawing the away match against Afghanistan in Saudi Arabia, India faltered in the second half. Rahmat Akbari equalized in the 70th minute, and Mukhammad converted a penalty in the 88th minute, securing victory for Afghanistan.
India's hopes for progressing to the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 Preliminary Joint Qualifiers suffered a setback with their 1-2 loss to Afghanistan. India had led 1-0 at halftime.