India's FIFA World Cup Qualifier exit on Tuesday heralded an outpouring of national grief as the media leapt at the chance to wallow in the cruelty of a script all too familiar to a country that seemingly excels in valiant defeat.

“There was bias certainly. Otherwise, there is no way this can be justified. What were the referees thinking? And still no noise about it. I can’t believe this. If you haven’t witnessed daylight robbery before, only watch the highlights on repeat,” said a frustrated Shayon Pal, puffing his cheeks out in anguish and ruffling his hair, in unusual disorder. Father Debayan, who nodded in affirmation, opined, “If this is the way it is, we will never be able to outsmart these teams. Bribes and corruption ruin everything, and sadly, it is more common in sports than we can imagine.”