Nothing but football.
Even though India lost the final game against Kuwait 2-1 and failed to qualify, our boys played some scintillating football in the tournament. Krishna Pandit’s sublime goal against Kuwait is a testimony for the talent India has at hand.
Check out Krishna’s goal that was scored in the 64th minute of the match. Also listen to the rapturous cheer from 2000 strong NRIs that came to support the team in the stadium.
Image Courtesy : AIFF Media
U-16 boys playing the AFC U-16 Championship qualifiers in Kuwait showed their class yet again. They mauled Bhutan 8-1 in their third match of the qualifiers played at the at the Ali Sabah Al-Salem Stadium in Kuwait.
India opened scoring in the 4th minute through Jayananda Singh and did not have to look back from then on except for a blip in the 41st minute when Bhutan through Yoesel Dorji scored their only goal for the day.
U-16 boys played some excellent football, at times totally dominating the Bhutan side. However a bigger score line would have helped our qualification and done justice to the football the boys showcased in the match.
India will take on the hosts Kuwait in their final group stages match on 29-sep, which will now be a crucial tie considering the rules that AFC has set for qualification.
India team :
Dheeraj Singh (Goalkeeper), Amey Ranawade, Jayananda Singh (Kishan Singh – 46th), Amit Tudu, Jerry Lalrinzuala; Kharlukhi (Captain) (Aaron Rodrigues – 79th), Prosenjit Chakraborty, Anirudh Thapa, Nuruddin, Nijwm Muchahary (Edmund Lalrindika – 65th), Bedashwor Singh.
Goal Scorers (India) :
Jayananda Singh – 4th minute
Prosenjit Chakraborty – 13th and 31st minute
Jerry Lalrinzuala – 20th Minute
Bedashwor Singh – 33rd and 47th minute
Edmund Lalrindika – 74th minute
Nuruddin – 75th minute
India held Tajikistan to a draw (1-1) in their first match in AFC U-16 qualifiers at Kuwait. At half time, India were trailing 1-0 with Tajikistans’ Saidov Karomatullo scoring a goal from a corner in the 36th minute of the match.
India managed to equalize when we got a penalty after an Indian player was brought down in the Tajikistan box. Prosenjit Chakraborty managed to convert from the spot making it 1-1.
From what we managed to watch over a jittery stream, Tajikistan did look like a very formidable opposition and Indians did put a good show. While on paper the result looks good, in terms of qualification for the final rounds happening in Thailand next year, this is not a good result. To qualify we have to either win the group or be in the top five runner-up teams from a total of 10 groups in fray. You can check India’s upcoming fixtures and the rules and regulations that guide the qualification here.
Match summary and Stats here : India Vs Tajikistan
India is in Group A comprising Kuwait, Tajikistan, Lebanon and Bhutan. India will start of the qualifiers campaign by taking on formidable Tajikistan on 21-sep. There are a total of ten groups and the winners from all the groups and the best five runners-up will qualify for the finals happening next year in Thailand.
India’s fixtures for the qualifiers are as follows.
| 21-Sep | Tajikistan Vs INDIA | 19.20 IST |
| 25-Sep | INDIA Vs Lebanon | 23.20 IST |
| 27-Sep | INDIA Vs Bhutan | 23.20 IST |
| 29-Sep | Kuwait Vs India | 23.20 IST |