Singapore vs India: AFC Asian Qualifiers - Rahim Ali's maiden goal earns heroic draw for India; keeps their slim chances alive

India's hopes of qualifying for the 2027 Asia Cup are officially on the brink. Needing a win to keep their qualification hopes alive, Khalid Jamal's men could only manage a 1-1 draw against Singapore at the Singapore National Stadium on Thursday (October 9).

In a low scoring encounter, Ikhsan Fandi's goal in the dying seconds of the first half seemed like it would be the difference between the two sides. However, like in the first half, there was a goal very late in the second half as Rahim Ali netted his maiden international goal to give India a share of the spoils.

Sandesh Jhingan's second yellow card meant that India had to play an entire half with a man down but to their credit, they didn't let Singapore to score another goal in the game. There were a few chances alright but the hosts couldn't capitalise on being a man and goal up. Ultimately, Ali's late goal ensured that India weren't eliminated from the qualification race.

The first half saw a few early chances for both sides but the score remained at 0-0 for a while. During this period, Jhingan picked up his first yellow card for an awkward challenge. Singapore continued to play on the front foot and had a couple of sharp chances that weren't executed to the fullest.

With seconds left for the break, Fandi finally broke the deadlock for Singapore on the back of a brisk build-up from the back. The pace and accuracy of the passes split India's defence, leaving Fandi with the finisher's job and he did it with elan. It was a deserving goal for Singapore who were the better side in the first half.

If that goal was a dampener for India, things worsened at the start of the second half as Jhingan's notorious tackle on Fandi gave him the second yellow of the game. It meant a red card and brought India down to ten men with almost 45 minutes left. Singapore mounted the pressure with this advantage as they created width and space with the extra man advantage.

India have goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh to thank as he produced an incredible double-save in the 72nd minute to deny Singapore the second goal. Had that gone in, the game would virtually have been over with India a man down. Instead, it frustrated the home side who later on resorted to just preserving the lead.

That tactic, though, backfired as Ali's aggression in the 90th minute created a mistake from Singapore's goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud, allowing an open chance that was pounced upon by the Indian. That mistake was a gift from Singapore, given that India weren't creating chances in the closing moments of the game.

India has three games left but have only two points from their three completed games. Singapore (5 points) and Hong Kong (4 points) have an edge with the latter also having a game in hand. Remember, only one team qualifies from a group for the Asia Cup.