Matchday 1 Recap

 

Group A

India were the biggest beneficiaries of the matchday 1 results.

Team	Points	GD
Myanmar	3	+5
India	3	+1
Chinese Taipei	0	-1
Guam	0	-5

This group followed true to form. As predicted in our preview, Myanmar and India finished matchday 1 with all 3 points, although they took starkly different routes to achieve these results.

India were unconvincing in a 2-1 win over Chinese Taipei. They struggled all match long with Taipei’s zonal-marking technique. Taipei were content to defend and hit back out the counter attack. This approached appeared to have worked to perfection until India stole a stoppage time winner on a super-sub Robin Singh header.

After the dust settled in India’s pulsating win, hosts Myanmar dusted Guam 5-0. Myanmar had recently run into a dip in form as our Sparklines indicated, but what better way to reverse that trend than to host minnows out of water Guam. Leading 3-0 at half time, the White Angels enjoyed a second half stroll through the park en route to a full 3 points.

Upcoming Fixtures:

Guam v India
Chinese Taipei v Myanmar

India will have to play much better against Guam. Although they beat Taipei, goal differential is vitally important as it sure to factor into the second place advancement standings. We Global projections have India winning comfortably, but look for them to pour it on against a Guam side that appears to be leaking goals.

Myanmar should have no problems with Taipei, but may find difficulty breaking down the zonal-marking tactics Taipei employed against India. Look for Myanmar to claim all three points as well to set up a massive showdown with India on matchday 3.

 

Group C

Team	Points	GD
Afghanistan	3	+1
Laos	1	+0
Mongolia	1	+0
Sri Lanka	0	-1

Afghanistan got their Challenge Cup campaign off to a flying start with a 1-0 win over Sri Lanka. The lone goal came at right before the halftime whistle, and the Afghans clamped down defensively in the second half. They find themselves alone at the top of the group C standings after matchday 1.

And what do we have here?!? Our first upset of the day! Group hosts Laos played to an extremely disappointing draw with Mongolia in their opener. Laos had claimed an early 1-0 lead, but allowed Mongolia to level the score in first half stoppage time. Goals at the stroke of half were common today, but this one had the most venom. Laos controlled most of the play in the second half and broke through for a 2-1 lead, but had the goal called back as they were whistled for off-sides by the narrowest of margins.

We Global certainly did not see this result coming. While Laos surely are not out of the competition after 1 match, they are not in an enviable position. The team that gained the most from this result is India. They were on the right end of 4 point swing here, claiming 2 points at the death while watching Laos drop 2. This result could be the one we point at when the second place standings take a more definitive shape.

Upcoming Fixtures:

Mongolia v Afghanistan
Sri Lanka v Laos

Afghanistan look to continue their strong start to the campaign as they face a Mongolian side that proved they are no push-over. Afghanistan are fancied in the We Global rankings, but don’t be surprised to see a draw in this match.

Laos must suffer from short-term memory loss as the quick turnaround sees them host Sri Lanka in matchday 2. Our preview had them winning this game, and We Global still thinks that will be the case. Look for Laos to be the biggest Mongolian supporters in Vientiane on Sunday as they will hope to be at-worst tied for the group C lead heading into matchday 3.

 

Group D

Team	Points	GD
Nepal	3	+6
Palestine	3	+1
Bangladesh	0	-1
Northern Mariana Islands	0	-6

As with group A, this group stayed true to the We Global preview, although probably to nobody’s surprise. The only thing that may be considered surprising is the margin by which Palestine won.

Palestine claimed a 1-0 victory over Bangladesh in a hard-nosed match. The lone goal came late in the second half through a scrum in front of goal. As with India, 3 points are 3 points, and Palestine will gladly take them. They too benefitted from Laos’ inability to win and hold the advantage in the second place standings.

The next match saw Nepal absolutely demolish debutants Northern Mariana Islands 6-0. Goals are worth their weight in gold in tournaments like this, and Nepal understood that, showing no mercy to the Blue Ayuyus. As our Sparklines showed Nepal continuing to slide in form, we also stated that this match would surely right the ship.

Upcoming Fixtures:

Northern Mariana Is v Palestine
Bangladesh v Nepal

Palestine will have zero trouble throttling NMI in their matchday 2 encounter. If you see any wagers that favor Palestine by 4-5 goals, do not be hesitant in throwing down. A win seems to be guaranteed, but if it’s only by 2 or 3 goals, it could feel like a loss knowing Nepal hung 6 in the prior match.

We Global has the Bangladesh v Nepal fixture as the one to watch in matchday 2. Only 4 spots separate these two teams in our rankings, and we are predicting Nepal to win, but only by the narrowest of margins. Bangladesh surely will put up a stiffer test than NMI, and Nepal will need to come out firing in front of their fans. Any slip-up here would be disastrous to their quest to qualify for Maldives 2014.

 

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AFC Correspondent
-Matt