Goal-stopper Subrata Paul turned out to be the unlikely hero as India defeated Myanmar 5-2 in penalty shootout to move into the second round of the Pre-Olympic men's soccer in Kolkata on Wednesday.
Paul made two brilliant stops in the tie-break to give India a well deserved win in the return match at Salt Lake Stadium.
Paul was outstanding not only during tie-break, he also pulled off a number of saves during scheduled and extra time to keep India's hopes alive. The first leg in Yangoon had ended in a 1-1 draw.
The match went into extra time with Indian forwards failing to capitalise several chances after the hosts went ahead in the 39th minute through a brilliant move of striker Manjit Singh.
Myanmar restored parity during injury time through their defender Moewin. The game did not rise to spectacular heights during extra time with both sides adopting defensive tactics.
For India Sunil Kumar, Debabrata Roy, N S Manju and Manjit Singh were on the target in the tie-breaker, while for the visitors only Kim Myang could score in the round (4-1).
India will now play Iraq in the next round.
Jordan has been chosen as neutral venue for the away match on February 28, considering the present situation in Iraq.
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