AIFF Media Team

NEW DELHI: The Indian eFootball National Team's AFC eAsian Cup 2023 campaign came to an end in the Round of 16 after going down to Saudi Arabia on Sunday, February 4, 2023, at the Virtuocity in Doha, Qatar.

The knockout stage was played in a best-of-three format, where Saudi Arabia won the first two games 1-0 and 4-0 to put the tie to bed. Each match lasted 12 minutes and was played in a 2v2 format on Konami’s eFootball 2024 on PS5 consoles. On Friday, India had progressed from Group B as runners-up with five points from four matches.

India lined up with Ibrahim Gulrez and Charanjot Singh, while Hemanth Krishna Kommu was present as a substitute. Saudi Arabia were represented by Ahmed Alamri, Amjad Alqarni and Abdulaziz Albuhayri.

The first match was largely a cagey affair as both sides tested the opposition's defence but couldn't carve out a clear goalscoring chance until Saudi Arabia broke through thanks to Radif's goal in the 78th minute.

The Indian duo defended resolutely in the first match but Saudi Arabia's dominance proved too much to handle in the second one as Al-Brikan's eighth-minute opener set the tone for the rest of the contest. Al-Muwallad's goal sandwiched between a brace from Ghareeb in quick succession early in the second half sealed the West Asians' spot in the last eight of the first-ever AFC eAsian Cup.