AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers: India, AFG players engage in ugly brawl after Chhetri & Co.'s 2-1 win - WATCH

Sunil Chhetri-led India beat Afghanistan in a thrilling match, on Saturday (June 11), in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers, at theiconicKolkata's Salt Lake Stadium. After beating Cambodia, 2-0, India were favourites versus their Asian neighbours and lived upto expectations in what was a riveting clash. Chhetri's goal in the 86th minute gave India a 1-0 lead but the Afghans equalised after two minutes.

In the stoppage time,Sahal Abdul Samad's goal took India to a stunning victory as the evening turned out to be a memorable affair for India, who will now play Hong Kong on Tuesday (June 14) for a direct qualification to AFC Asian Cup 2023.

Soon after the match, an ugly brawl broke outwhich made heads turn for all the wrong reasons.After the end of proceedings, a few Indian players were seen arguing with each other and it soon broke into a scuffle. Indian goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu tried to play the mediator's role but all his efforts went in vain as more Indian and Afghan players joined in and it led to an ugly scene. The players from both sides pulled each other'sshirts and some fist blows were also traded. AFC officials also tried to calm the storm but it took some time before the fight was eventually stopped. The exact reason for the fight remainsunknown.

Here's the video of the incident:

Talking about India's next clash, they will now gear up to face table-toppers Hong Kong on Tuesday evening (June 14). The second-ranked India, who are tied with Hong Kong with six points after two wins each, will leave no stone unturned to earn another win in the Qualifiers. The clash willdetermine who directly qualifies for the continental showpiece event in 2023