Skipper chhetri

Preliminary Joint Qualifiers Round: India captain Sunil Chhetri scored a goal in his 150th international match to give India the lead but the team allowed Afghanistan to score two late goals to seal a shock victory in a Round 2 match of FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 Preliminary Joint Qualifiers here on Tuesday.

India, who were held to a draw in the away match against Afghanistan in Saudi Arabia, capitulated in the second half as Rahmat Akbari equalised in the 70th minute before Mukhammad converted a penalty in the 88th minute to seal victory for Afghanistan.

India suffered a serious jolt in their quest for a place in the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 Preliminary Joint Qualifiers when they went down to Afghanistan 1-2 on Tuesday. India led 1-0 at halftime.