India fell into the trap of playing for the draw that would have taken them through to the knockout stages, and in the end it cost them as captain on the night Pronay Halder gave away a penalty in the first minute of stoppage time. Jamal Rashed hammered it home to take Bahrain through.
Positives
The problem with playing for a draw, employing a low-block for ninety minutes, is that if the result doesn't go your way it's going to be hard to find any positives. India's defending, though, was top-notch for the most part and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu's goalkeeping was assured for the duration.
Negatives
The lack of an out-ball cost India in the second half, with Jeje Lalpekhlua coming on and proving ineffectual. Halder's rashness is obviously the biggest talking point of the night, but it was coming with India dropping deeper and deeper into their shell.
Manager rating out of 10
4 -- ""We will be playing for a win," Stephen Constantine had said before the match. They did not. Would have been a seven or an eight if they'd got the result, but that's the risk with playing the 'results game'.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, 7 -- Was superb in the air all night, coming off his line to claim anything in his vicinity. Pulled off a couple of decent reflex saves. Could do nothing with the penalty.
DF Pritam Kotal, 5 -- Most of Bahrain's attacks came down his flank. He was run ragged by Sayed Diya Saeed and Ahmed Juma and without support from Udanta, on occasions struggled.
DF Anas Edathodika, N/A -- Limped off injured in the second minute. Cruel.
DF Sandesh Jhingan, 8 -- Was immense throughout, throwing his body at everything and winning the duel with Bahrain's talismanic striker Mohamed Al Romaihi, forcing him to be subbed off on the hour mark.
DF Subhasish Bose, 5 -- Did very little wrong on the night, though unwittingly caused a moment of panic as his prod back to Sandhu was adjudged a back pass and Bahrain won an indirect free kick in the box.
MF Pronay Halder, 5 -- Would have been an eight, or a nine, if it were not for a horribly out-of-control challenge he made inside his box in the 91st minute. Was superb until then.
MF Rowllin Borges, 5 -- Ineffectual sitting alongside Halder in central midfield. Added to the numbers at the back, but did very little moving forward.
MF Udanta Singh, 6 -- Had his moments, with his lightning pace threatening Bahrain on occasion, but a hopelessly over-hit cross in the 50th minute encapsulated his end product in a nutshell.
MF Halicharan Narzary, 5 -- Was defensively diligent as ever, although a bit rash in some of his tackling. Put in a couple of crosses, but largely stuck to his own half.
MF Ashique Kuruniyan, 5 -- Like Udanta, showed glimpses of his promise with some clever movement off the ball and solid hold-up play. Didn't get a sniff of the ball inside the Bahrain box, though
FW Sunil Chhetri, 5 -- Without the ball, India's best player was limited to defending on the front foot for vast swathes of the game - and did that well to limit the influence of Abdulwahab Al Safi in the Bahraini midfield. On the rare occasions he did find himself on the ball, his touch seemed off.
Substitutes
DF Salam Ranjan Singh, 6 (on in the 2nd minute) -- Looked a touch nervous on occasion, understandably so for a player who couldn't possibly have been mentally ready to come on so early in the match, but grew into it and played a steady hand alongside Jhingan.
FW Jeje Lalpekhlua, 3 (on in the 46th minute) -- Was ineffectual, hold-up play letting him down at critical moments.
MF Anirudh Thapa, N/A