Rahim Ali Saves India : It was chaos, relief, and disbelief all rolled into one as the final whistle blew at Singapore’s National Stadium. The hosts stood frozen, their fans stunned into silence. For nearly 90 minutes, Singapore had outplayed India, pressed harder, created more chances — and yet, somehow, it ended 1-1.
The unlikely savior? Rahim Ali — who pounced on a late defensive blunder to tuck the ball into an empty net and salvage a priceless point for Khalid Jamil’s men.
For much of the evening, India looked a shadow of themselves. Despite being the higher-ranked side, they struggled to string together attacking moves and relied heavily on their backline and goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu to stay afloat.
When Singapore’s Shawal Anuar burst through India’s defense to set up Ikhsan Fandi’s opener just before half-time, it felt like the inevitable had arrived. And things quickly went from bad to worse after the break.
Barely minutes into the second half, India’s defensive rock Sandesh Jhingan was shown a second yellow card for a clumsy foul — leaving his team with ten men and a mountain to climb.
“Didn’t see the replay, but from where I stood, it looked 50-50,” captain Sunil Chhetri said after the game. “We had to dig deep after that red card. It wasn’t easy, but we kept believing.”
Singapore’s Missed Chances Come Back to Haunt
The home side, led by skipper Hariss Harun, dominated possession and carved out multiple opportunities. But their wastefulness and one moment of madness cost them dearly.
In the 90th minute, substitute Jordan Emaviwe attempted a casual back pass from the right flank — straight into the path of India’s Rahim Ali. With goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud stranded, Ali calmly rolled the ball into the net, sparking wild celebrations from the Indian bench.
“It was our own undoing,” admitted Hariss Harun after the game. “We should have killed the game when India went down to 10 men. At this level, one mistake is enough to destroy you.”
Khalid Jamil’s India: Grit Over Glamour
For head coach Khalid Jamil, this result might feel like a small victory in disguise. His team lacked rhythm and creativity but showed immense fight — especially after Jhingan’s dismissal.
Jamil’s appointment as only the third full-time Indian coach of this century brought a sense of fresh accountability. Thursday’s performance, while far from perfect, reflected the kind of resilience Indian football has long sought.
“Credit to the boys for not giving up,” a visibly relieved Jamil said post-match. “We’ll go home, work harder, and fix what went wrong.”
What’s Next for India?
The draw keeps India’s Asian Cup qualification hopes alive — barely. They now have three matches left:
- vs Singapore (Home) – October 14, Fatorda Stadium, Goa
- vs Bangladesh (Away) – November 18, Dhaka
- vs Hong Kong (Home) – March 31, 2026
With just two points from three games, India must beat Singapore and Bangladesh to stay in contention.
For now, though, the Blue Tigers will take heart from the fact that they didn’t lose. It wasn’t pretty, but it was necessary.
