<p> In the Group B encounter, India triumphed in emphatic fashion through goals from Indian Arrows players Jeje Lalpekhlua (32nd) and Sheikh Jewel Raja (88th) along with captain Sunil Chhetri who scored the second goal of the game in the 76th minute.<br /><br />Lalpekhlua, who has been in sparkling form all season for the AIFF side in the I-League, continued the good run when he opened the scoring for the favourites just past the half-hour mark. A Steven Dias cross from the right found Chhetri, who laid it off perfectly for the waiting Indian Arrows forward to prod home the opener.<br /><br />Chhetri, captaining Indian Senior team for the first time, combined again with Lalpekhlua to make it 2-0 in the 76th minute. Raja, who replaced the hard-working Steven Dias, put the issue beyond doubt when his strike from the top of the 18-yard box found the back of the net two minutes from time to give India a well-deserved victory. <br /><br />The Indian defence played the Taipei forwards well with goalkeeper Subrata Paul not getting too much of the action as compared to their previous matches in the Asian Cup.<br /><br />“It was a good game for us. Some young boys made their debut and fared pretty well. Jagpreet and Rakesh had a pretty good game in midfield,’’ Bob Houghton, India coach, said. <br /><br />“Chhetri too had a great game and playing his first game as captain, scored a goal along with creating the other goals as well,’’ he added. <br /><br />Chhetri was particularly happy with his team’s efforts and said he was proud to lead the team. “I am very happy to be the captain of this team and to win today is just the icing on the cake.”<br /><br />Earlier, Turkmenistan started their campaign on a good note with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Pakistan.</p>
<p> In the Group B encounter, India triumphed in emphatic fashion through goals from Indian Arrows players Jeje Lalpekhlua (32nd) and Sheikh Jewel Raja (88th) along with captain Sunil Chhetri who scored the second goal of the game in the 76th minute.<br /><br />Lalpekhlua, who has been in sparkling form all season for the AIFF side in the I-League, continued the good run when he opened the scoring for the favourites just past the half-hour mark. A Steven Dias cross from the right found Chhetri, who laid it off perfectly for the waiting Indian Arrows forward to prod home the opener.<br /><br />Chhetri, captaining Indian Senior team for the first time, combined again with Lalpekhlua to make it 2-0 in the 76th minute. Raja, who replaced the hard-working Steven Dias, put the issue beyond doubt when his strike from the top of the 18-yard box found the back of the net two minutes from time to give India a well-deserved victory. <br /><br />The Indian defence played the Taipei forwards well with goalkeeper Subrata Paul not getting too much of the action as compared to their previous matches in the Asian Cup.<br /><br />“It was a good game for us. Some young boys made their debut and fared pretty well. Jagpreet and Rakesh had a pretty good game in midfield,’’ Bob Houghton, India coach, said. <br /><br />“Chhetri too had a great game and playing his first game as captain, scored a goal along with creating the other goals as well,’’ he added. <br /><br />Chhetri was particularly happy with his team’s efforts and said he was proud to lead the team. “I am very happy to be the captain of this team and to win today is just the icing on the cake.”<br /><br />Earlier, Turkmenistan started their campaign on a good note with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Pakistan.</p>