India were lucky! A goalkeeping howler from Afghanistan goalkeeper, Ovays Azizi, gifted the Blue Tigers lead in the 75th minute. But India failed to capitalise on it. A poor defensive play towards the end of a cagey match allowed the Afghans to share the spoils with teen sensation Hossein Zamani curling a beauty in the nine minutes left in the regulation time. That was probably the defining moment of the game, which lacked quality and creativity. India, after their comfortable win against Bangladesh, started sprightly. They won a series of corners, only to witness Afghan defence rising to the occasion, on many occasions. In between, the Afghan Lions won second balls, thus stifling Indian moves. They even dominated the proceeding in the second half as India struggle to match the tempo. India ended their joint 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup qualifying campaign with seven points from eight matches (one win, four draws and three defeats). A third-place finish in Group E allows Igor Stimac's side to have a crack at the Asian Cup qualifying third round, to be held from 16 November 2021 to 14 June 2022.