Manvir's strike hands India first win in World Cup qualifiers against Kuwait

With four passes and a goal, Manvir Singh’s 75th-minute left-footed strike turned India’s start to Round 2 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Joint Qualification campaign into a memorable one as they defeated hosts Kuwait by a solitary goal on Thursday.

The match was dull till the moment of magic produced by the Indian striker sent the Indian fans into a frenzy shocking the Kuwait team.

What looked like a sedate contest for the majority of the 90 minutes truly became an exciting one when the lanky striker parked himself at the right place in the rival box to bang home a Lallianzuala Chhangte cross from the left with a neat and powerful left-footer to which Kuwait custodian Abdul Rahman Marzouq had no answer.

India produced a good show in the first half where Nikhil Poojary and Manvir Singh were the chief operators on the right-hand side. While there were not many clear-cut chances, India continued to foray into the Kuwait box trying to create a chance.

One such foray saw Poojary floating the ball inside the box in a copybook style. Skipper Sunil Chhetri took a volley that had the required punch, but not the direction. It sailed over the bar. It was perhaps the best chance India had in the match, apart from Manvir’s strike.

Igor Stimac's decision to leave Chhangte out of the starting eleven raised a few eyebrows without getting deep into his scheme of things. Stimac waited till the 64th minute before he unleashed Chhangte against an already harassed Kuwait defence and he did the trick that the Blue Tigers were looking for.

Chhangte’s fresh legs did wonder; his cross from the left was a classic one – it had the perfect angle, the ideal height, and all the ingredients to leave the Kuwait defence stranded.

The goal made all the difference as India walked off the pitch with all three points in their pocket, which could well become a crucial factor in India’s endeavor to get into the next round of the World Cup campaign for the first time in history.

Indian defence was more reliable and cleared everything coming their way with Gurpreet Singh Sandhu having a rather leisurely day in the office.

With three points under the belt, India will travel to Bhubaneswar to play their next match in the group against mighty Qatar, undoubtedly the toughest side in the four-team contest.