Tajikistan beat India 4-2 in the opening match of Intercontinental Cup 2019 at the TransStadia Arena, Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Igor Stimac made seven changes to India’s starting XI that defeated Thailand 1-0 in the King’s Cup third-place play-off last month. Only Adil Khan, Rahul Bheke, Amarjit Singh and Anirudh Thapa retained their place in the first team. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and skipper Sunil Chhetri returned to the first XI.
Sunil Chhetri’s brilliant Panenka penalty beat the goalkeeper in the fourth minute, giving India an early lead. Sahal Abdul Samad won the ball in the centre and played a through ball towards Mandar Rao Desai on the left flank.