Manolo Marquez brought Sunil Chhetri back into the national team breaking his retirement mainly for this crucial match. What an irony! Sunil Chhetri missed the sitter in the 84th minute, depriving India of the desired victory against spirited Bangladesh in the crucial Asian Cup qualifier at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Shillong on Tuesday. Both the teams shared points playing out a 0-0 match.

Mahesh Singh’s measured cross reached Sunil inside the box when he was completely unmarked. But the veteran striker’s header went wide! The striker also failed to pose any threat to Bangladesh's defense on the day. 

Rather, Hamza Chaudhury, who is on loan to Sheffield United from Premier League club Leicester City was more precious throughout the match. Playing as a defensive midfielder, Hamza was almost flawless, blocking most of India’s attacks down the middle. He was especially successful in making Sunil Chhetri futile outside the 18-yard box. 

India dominated in the central midfield but failed to penetrate opposition defense down the middle. Liston Colaco’s speedy runs down the left cracked opposition defense on a couple of occasions, but ultimately ended in unproductive moves. 

India obtained another positive chance before Chhetri’s slip-up. Subhashis Bose squandered the chance heading far outside from inside the box. 

Bangladesh rather looked more aggressive in the first half. They created opportunities, especially in the 12th minute when Subhashis Bose came as a savior, producing a superb goal-line clearance to keep his team alive, and significantly, most of Bangladesh's attacks in the first half were anchored by Hamza Chaudhury.