In a gripping encounter, India U-16 edged past Nepal U-16 4-2 on penalties at the Dashrath Stadium, Kathmandu, to book their place in the final of the SAFF U-16 Championship, where they will face arch-rivals Pakistan.
The match started with both the sides looking to take the lead. In first ten minutes the India U-16 colts looked up to the task as they took control of the match right from the offset.
Despite India's domination, Nepal U-16 drew first blood with Rishi Thapa breaking the deadlock in the 20th minute.
Nepal U-16 went into the half time break with the 1-0 lead and came very close to take a two goal advantage as their captain Heman Gurung’s free-kick from outside the box hit the woodwork.
Soon, India got into the game and started a series of attacks. Their attacking play finally paid off as substitute Nitin Jyal found the back of the net at the stroke of the full time to make it 1-1.
With neither team able to score in injury time, the match went to penalties.
Vanlalduatsanga, Suman Saha, Myron Mendes and Harmanjot Singh all converted their spot-kicks for India while Lalrammuana was unfortunate to hit the crossbar.
However goalkeeper Supratim Bhattacharya pulled off two saves to take India to the final of the SAFF Under-16 Championship.
A satisfied India U-16 coach, Thomas Jospeh once again praised the Indian players for their effort, commitment and performance.
He said,’’ I am extremely happy with their performance. They played their heart out and showed character. Also we missed so many chances, but nevertheless it’s part and parcel of the game and we hope to continue the same momentum against Pakistan in the final."
0 comments:
Post a Comment