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Pep Munoz signaled his intent early with a bold reshuffle of his starting XI, handing the captain’s armband to Rahul Bheke while recalling Namgyal Bhutia and Suresh Wangjam to the fold.

In a tactical gamble that would eventually pay dividends, talisman Sunil Chhetri began the evening on the bench, leaving Ryan Williams to lead the line as the lone spearhead for the Blues.