Kochi, March 31 – Ryan Williams and Akash Mishra scored in both halves of the match as India defeated Hong Kong 2-1, securing a high-scoring victory in Group C of the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers Final Round at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on Tuesday. This marked India's first win in Kochi.
Williams’ early goal and Mishra’s second-half strike ensured the Blue Tigers secured their first win of the qualifying campaign. India finished with five points, having won one, drawn two, and lost three matches. Singapore topped the group with 14 points, securing qualification for the Asian Cup.
Head Coach Khalid Jamil gave a debut to Ryan Williams, while Bijoy Varghese also made his first India appearance off the bench.
India started the game strongly, with Williams scoring in the fourth minute. A quick transition down the right wing saw Abhishek Singh Tekcham pass to Manvir Singh, who then passed it to Williams for the goal.
This was also the fastest goal scored by a debutant for India, surpassing the previous record of sixth-minute goals by K Appalaraju against Ceylon (Sri Lanka) in a pre-Olympics match in Colombo in 1963 and Mehtab Hossain against Nepal in the 2005 SAFF Cup in Karachi.
The home team played with confidence, dominating possession and controlling the tempo.
Manvir Singh delivered a cross to Lallianzuala Chhangte inside the box, but a Hong Kong defender cleared the danger.
The Indian defense effectively contained Hong Kong’s attackers, preventing them from creating clear chances.
India looked dangerous in counterattacks, with Williams receiving the ball from midfield and passing to Manvir, who then passed it to Chhangte for a shot. However, Hong Kong defender Shinichi Chan blocked the shot, resulting in a corner.
Apuia came close to doubling the lead at the 25th minute. Manvir Singh and Ryan Williams combined well down the left, but Apuia’s right-footed shot from distance went just wide.
Hong Kong patiently built up play, delivering crosses into the box, but the Indian defense handled them comfortably, ensuring they went into the break with a one-goal lead.
The Blue Tigers began the second half brightly. Rahul Bheke's long throw was not cleared by the opposition defense. As the ball bounced inside the box, Akash Mishra quickly reacted, scoring his first international goal and doubling India's lead.
India's defense was breached just after the hour mark as Braunshtain Barak found space between Sandesh Jhingan and Rahul Bheke to pass to Everton Camargo. Camargo timed his run perfectly, got to the ball ahead of the defenders, and finished past Gurpreet to halve the deficit.
Liston tested the Hong Kong goalkeeper with a powerful shot from distance, which curled away from the post. Khalid Jamil made a double substitution with the injured Ryan Williams and Anwar Ali replaced by Ashique Kuruniyan and Jeakson Singh Thounaojam.
Ashique injected fresh energy into the attack, producing several goal attempts. He had three attempts in the space of four minutes, one straight at the goalkeeper, another deflecting off a defender, and the third going just wide.
On the other end, Hong Kong substitute Jason Kam tested Gurpeet with a header after a set-piece delivery by Camargo, and moments later, India’s captain was called into action, safely palming away Ng Yu Hei’s shot from the edge of the box.
Ashique was again involved, this time combining with Liston, who set up the forward with a clever pass, but Ashique’s left-footed shot was again blocked by the opposition defence.
Bijoy Varghese made his international debut in the 90th minute in place of Chhangte, and the Kerala defender made a crucial sliding tackle in stoppage time to deny a goal-scoring opportunity for Hong Kong.
In the end, India held on to their one-goal lead and secured a hard-fought victory in front of a crowd of 22,690 in Kochi.