Bengaluru, Sept. 26 -- Right hand lifted, forefinger pointing up, Ryan Williams said an Akash Mishra pass with his right foot had ended in the car park. It was an exaggeration, alright, but made the point about Mishra nor being known to have a strong right foot. And yet without a competitive match this season because his club Mumbai City FC had skipped the Durand Cup, the left back got it right when it mattered.

The move was one of the things India had worked on in the training camp here, said Williams. "It's quite old school, feed it back and put it behind," said the former Australia forward who became an Indian citizen last year. "But it worked against a World Cup team. So, credit to the coaching staff and credit to Akash."

The pass, ...