Yemen hold India to 1-1 draw

A spirited Yemen held India to a 1-1 draw in a Pre-World Cup Asian Zone Group 8 qualifier match in Bangalore on Sunday evening.

The visitors, who went into this encounter topping the Group 8, shot into the lead seconds before the end of the first half through a goal from Abdusalam Hamood Ghaleb-Ghorbani.

As India's defence was caught napping, Ghaleb-Ghorbani fired home an accurate goal off a superb Ali Aboud Awad-Al Omqi pass in the 45th minute to give his side the advantage.

In a tense game where sparks flew, four players of the Arab nation, who appeared to have marked India's captain Bhaichung Bhutia, were shown yellow cards.

India, who were confident after beating the highly-rated UAE last Sunday 1-0, got the equaliser in the 54th minute through a wonderful header from Bhutia, who was bang on target off a Renedy Singh pass, before a boisterous 20,000 home crowd.

The 1-1 result is a disappointing one for India, who were looking for a victory in its pursuit to enter the second phase of the Asian Zone qualifying round.

PTI