India: 6 Jeje Lalpekhlua (42’, 74’), Sumeet Passi (45’), Sandesh Jhingan (49’), Mohd. Rafique (83’) and Fulganco Cardozo (87’)
Laos: 1 Khonesavanh Sihavong (16’)
Striker Jeje Lalpekhlua scored twice as India recovered from a one-goal deficit to thrash Laos 6-1 in one of their biggest ever wins. The victory also helped the team book a berth in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers.
India trailed 0-1 in the 16th minute through a Khonesavanh Sihavong strike but the home team replied in a remarkable fashion, dominating the rest of the match. They pumping in six goals -- including three in seven minutes -- to walk away with an easy win.
The order in which we won the match says a great deal about our character. We kept our heads high and fought for every inch. I am happy that Laos scored early on in the match as it gave us time to recover and stage a comeback.Stephen Constantine, Coach-India
India won the home and away tie 7-1 on aggregate to book a berth in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers. They had beaten Laos 1-0 in the first leg in Vientiane on June 2.
India had been forced into playing the play-offs after finishing at the bottom of their group in the joint preliminary round of the 2018 FIFA World Cup and 2019 AFC Asian Cup. The victory now and a berth in the Asian Cup Qualifiers will ease a lot of pressure on coach Stephen Constantine whose future has been under a scanner after a string of poor shows by the national team.
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