Attack may have been the buzzword for Khalid Jamil in his pre-match comments but his reputation as coach has been built on defensive solidity. Penny for his thoughts, then, when in the 58th minute of India’s must-win AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Singapore in Margao, he saw his defenders seemingly lose all sense of their surroundings and concede a second goal on the night. It turned out to be the goal that hammered the final nail in the coffin in which lay India’s dreams of qualifying for the continental tournament for a third consecutive time.

The chaos was sparked by a simple ball over the top, which itself came because midfielder Nikhil Prabhu, despite not having an opposition player anywhere in his vicinity, headed the ball right to the feet of a Singapore man. India had conceded to

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