It’s funny how, in a span of just 48 hours, Cape Verde, a nation of barely five lakh people, has qualified for the FIFA World Cup. And then there’s India, a country of 1.4 billion, that couldn’t even make it to the AFC Asian Cup.
Looks like we, Indian fans, will have to wait a little longer for our fairytale moment.
The night started well, full of energy, intent, and promise, but by full-time, it ended in heartbreak. India’s 1–2 defeat to Singapore not only spoiled what could’ve been a fresh start but also ended our hopes of reaching the AFC Asian Cup 2027.
Cape Verde 🇨🇻 qualified for the 2026 World Cup with a population of just 590,000.
India 🇮🇳 can’t even compete in Afc Asian Cup 2027 qualifications despite having 1.4 Billion population.
When does the suffering end?
— Pranay Singh (@thepranaysingh) October 14, 2025
Singapore Ends India’s Asian Cup 2027 Hopes
For a good 30 minutes, it actually looked different. India started with intensity, pressing high, attacking with confidence, and for once, it felt like we had come to play football. Khalid Jamil, known for his defensive style, had promised attacking football and he delivered that.
Lallianzuala Chhangte’s outrageous screamer in the 14th minute was the perfect start. The winger picked up the ball, cut across the pitch, and unleashed a rocket into the top corner. The crowd erupted. India looked sharp, hungry, and full of intent.
Singapore were rattled. For a solid half-hour, they could barely get out of their own half. Mahesh Singh Naorem and Sunil Chhetri combined beautifully in one sequence that saw an 11-pass move end with a shot straight at the keeper. On another day, that’s 2-0 game done. But as we’ve seen far too often, India failed to make dominance count.
And then, right before halftime, the familiar script returned. A simple cross from the right wasn’t dealt with by Rahul Bheke, and the ball fell perfectly for Glenn Kweh, who teed up Song Ui-Young. One cool finish later, Singapore were level with their first shot on target.
It was the kind of goal that knocks the wind out of you. India had done all the hard work, yet somehow found themselves back to square one.
In the second half, India continued to push. They looked more composed in midfield with Lalengmawia Ralte pulling the strings and Nikhil Prabhu snapping into tackles like a man possessed. But one slip literally changed everything.
Prabhu lost his footing while carrying the ball forward, Singapore pounced on the counter, and Ui-Young again found space on the left and buried it past Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. 2-1. Game flipped.
To their credit, India didn’t give up. The boys kept pushing, racking up corner after corner. Chhetri went close with a header before being subbed off for Rahim Ali, while substitutes Sahal, Brandon, and Udanta all came on to chase the game.
Udanta’s late header whisked just past the post, and with that, India’s Asian Cup hopes officially died.
When the final whistle blew, there was silence. The kind that comes not from shock, but from familiarity. Because this story of hope, promise, and disappointment is one Indian fans know all too well.
Jamil’s men played well in patches, showed hunger, created chances, but once again lacked that killer edge. Four matches, zero wins, and bottom of a group that looked winnable on paper.
It’s harsh, but it’s the truth: while smaller nations are writing football fairytales, India is still stuck trying to wake up from its own nightmare.
