Qatar rally to beat India in joint qualifiers, Kuwait advance   

Doha, Qatar: A young Qatar side rallied to beat India 2 1 to finish their second round campaign in the Asian Cup 2027 and FIFA World Cup 2026 joint qu...

Doha, Qatar: A young Qatar side rallied to beat India 2-1 to finish their second round campaign in the Asian Cup 2027 and FIFA World Cup 2026 joint qualifiers on a winning note on Tuesday.      

At Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, India took the lead through Lallianzuala Chhangte’s goal in the 37th minute before Qatar bounced back strongly in the second half scoring the equaliser through Youssef Ayman in 73rd minute.   Ahmed Al Rawi scored the winner in 85th minute as the two-time Asian champions finished the stage with 16 points from four wins and a draw. Qatar had already booked their spot in the third round of World Cup qualifiers and a spot in next Asian Cup.

The defeat ended India’s chances to reach the third round as Kuwait became the second side from the group after a 1-0 win over Afghanistan at home finishing on seven points, also confirming their place in the Asian Cup.

India and Afghanistan finished the second round on five points each.