Asian champion Qatar ended India’s 15-game unbeaten run at home with a 3-0 win in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday and stayed top of Group A with six points from two matches.

Moustafa Tarek Mashal, Almoez Ali and Yusuf Abdurisag scored for Qatar in India’s first loss in the second round of qualifiers.

The visitor, starting on the offensive right from kick-off, had its first chance in the second minute when Amrinder’s miscued kick found Almoez on his left. Qatar had already sensed blood. Within the next two minutes, it was 1-0 up.

A corner kick from Afif, initially cleared, was lobbed in eventually, with Tameem Mansour Al-Abdullah winning the ball in the penalty box. A confused Indian defence was caught napping, as Moustafa barged in and rattled the net with a grounded effort.

Amrinder Singh had replaced in-form goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu – who had risen to a hero’s status against Qatar, four years ago – in the starting eleven.

For Qatar, it was Moustafa, the 22-year-old attacking midfielder who scored the defining goal in the first half. At the half-hour mark, he came close to doubling the lead, but this time, Amrinder reigned supreme, pushing his header away.

India showed a glimmer of hope for a comeback in the 35th minute when Anirudh Thapa and Sunil Chhetri combined along the right. The former carried the ball into the final third, and the latter’s back-heel, followed by Thapa’s pass, set up Lalengmawia in front of the penalty box. However, his punch went wide. 

In the 86th minute, the Maroons ended the contest when substitute Yusuf headed a cross from the left past Amrinder.

The loss keeps India second in the table, with three points from two games so far, but more importantly, it allows Stimac and his boys to gauge their weaknesses well before they travel to Qatar for the AFC Asian Cup next year.