The Indian football team went down 2-1 to hosts Qatar in their second Group H clash of the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha on Saturday.
Al Hashmi Mohialdin (18’) opened the scoring with a looping header from a corner, before Muhammed Suhail (52’) equalised for India. But a Jassem Al Sharshani penalty (67’) sealed three points for Qatar after defender Pramveer conceded the spot-kick and was sent off with a second yellow card.
With the win, Qatar sit firmly atop Group H with six points from two football matches. India remain on three, level with Bahrain but second on head-to-head record.
Brunei Darussalam is the other team in the group. India, coached by Naushad Moosa, won their opening match against Bahrain earlier this week and will play Brunei Darussalam next on Tuesday.
Only the group winners and the four best second-placed teams from the 11 groups will qualify for the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026, scheduled in January in Saudi Arabia.