Tenzin Samdup is a Tibetan refugee born in Pune, Maharashtra. He was brought up in Himachal and started his football journey in Bangalore while completing his undergraduate degree. Surprisingly, Tenzin was a teacher in a monastic school for three years in Mundgod, Karnataka, before becoming a professional footballer! 

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1. When and how did you start your journey in the footballing world?

Tenzin –  My football journey started when I was doing my degree in Bangalore; we Tibetans have never considered football, a matter of fact, any sports as a career, even though the love for football is the same as Our Indians love for cricket. However, when it comes to pursuing it as a career, it’s still a road not taken. And that perspective for me changed in college when I started playing in Bangalore, and people started appreciating my skills and suggested I give trials in clubs. 

So that’s how it actually started but with no family and financial backing, it’s always a fight against your family and yourself. Being the eldest in the family, You don’t always get to choose what you want. We are a simple middle-class Tibetan family trying to make ends meet, so sometimes dreaming also seems unlikely. 

Since India is our second home and we have our own exile government and everything, we also have a Tibet national team consisting of Tibetan players from exile. Every year we have a tournament in memory of His Holiness. The Dalai Lama’s mother and Tibetan teams from all over the world participate. So from there, players are shortlisted and are called on trials for the national team. My selection in our national team started the same way.

2. When and how did you join Kenkre? 

Tenzin –  I joined Kenkre FC a month before the qualifiers; I talked to two-three clubs for the qualifiers, and one day, my friend Ranjeet called me, and he told me that he was signing with Kenkre along with some of my ex Chennai city teammates. 

Even though I knew nothing of the club or the style they play, I blindly said yes because I see the quality players they are, and with the short time we have in our hands, we need that understanding and the chemistry within the team. So I thought that’s the most practical thing to do since we have played with each other and won the I-League once, and that was the best decision I have taken so far. What a journey the team had! 

3. How has been your experience so far with Kenkre? 

Tenzin –  To be honest, the first few days were challenging with the Mumbai heat and the practice timing. Still, as we moved closer towards the league, the team became more solid, and kudos to the management for bringing such talents, local talents from Mumbai, and giving them such a vast platform.

4. You came so close but missed out on the title! Your views on this? 

Tenzin –  Well, that’s still a fresh wound, and I think that will stay and haunt not just me but all of us for quite some time. My only aim when I signed for the team was to help them get the promotion and to get so close and not get hurt. I was absolutely gutted with the result, and I couldn’t even say it’s okay because it’s not, but what can I do! Football is cruel sometimes. We keep our heads up and move on! 

5. You have played under many coaches, how was Akhil Kothari’s coaching different? 

Tenzin –  Playing under Akhil was all about discipline, and that’s what we did throughout qualifiers, and we got the results. We only lacked the final touch, but apart from them, it was quite an experience. Even though we didn’t have many high-profile names in our team, we still played with such courage and were brave on the ball, and that’s all because of our gaffer. 

He has been insistent on keeping the ball on our feet since Day 1, and I believe that’s why we got so far in the qualifiers and could have gone further; we deserve it. 

6. What were the things you think you and your team could have done better? Also, you shared the most number of clean sheets record in the campaign. Are you happy with your performance? 

Tenzin –  We all know what we could have done better, convert the chances we got. Just one would have been fine, but that’s a lesson for the future now. 

About the clean sheet and individual performance, yes, it’s always a great feeling to help your team whenever it’s needed and called for. I was doing my part, and a lot of the credit for those clean sheets goes to my teammates for being so disciplined defensively. It’s a collective achievement. 

7. What are your future plans and ambitions?

Tenzin –  Well, the aim is playing in the I-League for now, I so wanted to be with this team, but unfortunately, we couldn’t qualify. We deserve to be there, you all have seen the football we play, but we don’t always get what we deserve in life. But let’s see, it’s always fun to take up new challenges, and I am ready for what’s to come next.

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The committee observed a one-minute silence as mark of respect to Committee Deputy Chairman Mr. Lavino J Rebello.

AIFF General Secretary Mr. Kushal Das said: “This is a path breaking moment in Indian Futsal. It is something that we would have done a couple of years earlier, had COVID not hit us. However, this is a great start to Futsal in India, and I wish all the clubs good luck.”

Leagues CEO Mr. Dhar stated: “We have held many workshops for the last one and a half years with the State FAs, and so many of them were subsequently able to hold their state Futsal leagues. Due to the growing popularity of the game, we have decided that from the coming year, there will be no direct entries. The Hero Indian Super League and the Hero I-League clubs will also have to participate in the state leagues, thus increasing the number of matches.”

Following the Futsal and Beach Soccer Committee Meeting, the Hero Futsal Club Championship draw was conducted at the Football House in New Delhi, with representatives from all the clubs witnessing the draw via video conferencing.

The groupings for the Hero Futsal Club Championship 2021-22 is as below:

Group A: Chanmari Zothan Futsal, Super Strikers FC, Baroda FC, Mohammedan SC.

Group B: Kuppuraj FC, Speed Force FC, Sporting Clube de Goa, Bengaluru FC.

Group C: Telongjem FC, Delhi FC, Niaw Wasa United Sports & Cultural Club, TRAU FC.

Group D: Real Kashmir FC, Classic Football Academy, Mangal Club, Sudeva Delhi FC.

CREDITS- AIFF MEDIA

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India begin their campaign against Islamic Republic of Iran on January 20, 2022, followed by matches against Chinese Taipei on January 23, 2022, and China PR on January 26, 2022.

“It is an exciting group. We respect all our opponents as all of them are strong teams who have qualified for the AFC Asian Cup India 2022. But we are ready to play any team,” Dennerby stated moments after the draw.

“I don’t consider any particular match as a key one. All three matches are key matches for us in the group stage. We need to do our job over 90 minutes every time we enter the field,” the coach maintained.

Meanwhile, speaking ahead of the draw ceremony, AIFF President Mr. Praful Patel averred: “The AFC Women’s Asian Cup is the premier flagship tournament for Women’s Football in our Continent, and I’m proud and happy that India is going to be the host for the 2022 edition. I thank the AFC, AIFF and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for jointly working together to bring a fantastic tournament not only for the fans in India, but also for all of the Asian continent.”

“The AFC had recently come and inspected all the facilities in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and Pune. We are looking forward to January 2022 to welcome all the 12 teams to our beautiful country, and I am confident they will be satisfied with the facilities, and hospitality that we have to offer in India,” he expressed.

Asian Football Confederation General Secretary Mr. Dato Windsor John said: “The AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022 promises to be another great celebration throughout the Continent. Together with the All India Football Federation and the Local Organising Committee, we are confident of staging a remarkable tournament that will leave a legacy for many years to come. I must congratulate the teams who have qualified and will line up along with the top three teams from the last edition and our hosts India.”

“I wish the LOC and our friends and colleagues at the AIFF the very best in hosting a truly world-class event next year,” Dato Windsor continued. “I must also thank the people behind the scenes, our officials, members of the media, our commercial partners, stakeholders, and of course, Asia’s unwavering fans for your support. To the 12 teams, I wish you all the best.”

The Indian Women’s Team is currently camping in Jamshedpur with logistical and infrastructural aid from the Government of Jharkhand since September. In the midst of the camp the team had also gone on an exposure tour to UAE, Bahrain and Sweden, where they played against International teams like UAE, Tunisia, Bahrain and Chinese Taipei. The side has also played two friendlies against Swedish Dammalsvenskan (Tier 1) clubs Hammarby IF and Djurgarden IF.

India’s fixtures in the group stage are as follows:

January 20, 2022: India vs Iran (7.30 pm IST – DY Patil Stadium).
January 23, 2022: Chinese Taipei vs India (7.30 pm IST – DY Patil Stadium).
January 26, 2022: India vs China (7.30 pm IST – Mumbai Football Arena).

CREDITS- AIFF MEDIA

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Incidentally, both of the Group E encounters ended in a similar fashion on the night. Oman got the better of Kyrgyz Republic thanks to a late penalty like the hosts UAE, who pipped India owing to an 82nd-minute spot-kick by Abdulla Idrees.

Igor Stimac made only one change to the team that got a 2-1 win against Oman in their previous game, having brought in Lalengmawia at the expense of Aniket Jadhav to make the midfield more compact against UAE. The hosts went 1-2 down against the Kyrgyz Republic in their first outing of the qualifying campaign, three days back.

Both the teams started with a safety-first approach before Rahim Ali squeezed in to make room for himself in the six-yard-box, but before he could connect to the long throw-in by Asish, UAE goalkeeper Suhail Abdulla Almutawa collected the ball calmly.

Before the clock struck the half-hour mark, India launched back-to-back attacks but the opponents dealt with them to cut the scorer out of the equation.

Suresh, who led the team for the second match in a row, lobbed a ball to Rahul KP, but Abdulla Idrees managed to clear it. Vikram Partap tried to get a shot off on the rebound, but Saeed Sulaiman blocked his attempt.

Three minutes past the half-hour mark, Dheeraj came to the rescue act, having blocked a dangerous attack from Rashed Salem Mubarak from handshaking distance. Mohammad Abbas passed it to Sultan Adeel and before anyone could notice, Rashed made a darting run from the right. Dheeraj anticipated it superbly and denied the hosts.

Rahul got himself onto the end of a cross from the right by Asish, and tapped it in past the keeper, but his celebrations were cut short after referee Fu Ming adjudged Rahim Ali, who had alledgedly touched to ball on the way, to be off-side. With that, the two teams headed into the tunnel level on scores at the lemon break.

The hosts, who were tottering at the bottom of the table, re-joined with more vigour and they took only four minutes to launch their first attack in the second half.

Marwan Fahad leapt above others to convert a long throw-in from Abbas but Dheeraj came to the rescue act once again in the 49th minute.

Abdullah Sultan Alblooshi could have made his presence count with his first contribution after coming off the bench but the substitute’s header missed the target by an inch or two to leave the Indian defenders much relieved in the 60th minute.

As Al Saleh got blocked by Dheeraj, UAE shouted for a penalty but the referee didn’t pay any attention to the appeal. Sultan took a steering header to the farthest post but missed the target.

The hosts kept on pushing the Indian defenders vigorously in search of the opening goal. Seven minutes later, Majid Rashid, the centre-forward, tried his luck from an acute angle but Dheeraj thwarted his effort. Their frustration increased further as Dheeraj made a spectacular finger-tip save in the 75th minute.

As UAE were mounting more pressure on the Indian defenders, Stimac introduced Sumit Rathi, Amarjit Singh and Princeton Rebello into the fray.

Ten minutes to the end of the regulation time, the hosts earned a penalty as Suresh brought Ali Saleh down inside the box. Defender Abdulla Idrees broke the deadlock from the spot-kick to hand UAE a crucial lead in the 82nd minute.

Suresh looked for the perfect atonement three minutes later as he picked up a stray ball on the edge of the opposition area, but his shot from outside the box went over the cross-bar. Stimac threw in Rohit Danu and Aniket Jadhav towards the end but the UAE defenders held their nerves to leave the ground with all three points.

Following the second match day, all the four teams are locked on three points each, with identical goal differences. The group topper will qualify for the finals in Uzbekistan next year, whereas four best runner-up nations will also join them. Hosts UAE will lock horns with Oman before India face-off with the Kyrgyz Republic at the same venue at 10 PM IST on Saturday (October 30, 2021).

India U-23 XI: Dheeraj Singh; Asish Rai (Princeton Rebello 76′), Narender Gahlot, Deepak Tangri, Akash Mishra; Vikram Partap Singh (Sumit Rathi 63′), Suresh Singh (Rohit Danu 87′), Lalengmawia (Amarjit Singh 76′), Jeakson Singh, Rahul KP; Rahim Ali (Aniket Jadhav 87′)

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After impressing everyone in the MDFA, Mumbaikar Azza Noorani displayed his skills in the I-League Qualifiers 2021 when he played for Kenkre FC, a team from his home city.

Azza started playing for Kenkre after he gave trials for them in September. “In September, they began their trials, where all the coaches were experienced and gave personal attention to every prospective player. The trials lasted for two weeks. It was a great experience also because I got selected,” said Azza.

With the Covid-19 restrictions in Mumbai, Kenkre’s team was assembled only a month before the qualifiers. The team was led by India’s youngest ‘A’ licensed coach Mr Akhil Kothari. Azza has played under many experienced and well-known coaches before Kenkre’s stint. On that, he said, “He is young, but he is dynamic and fearless. It was a pleasure to play under him, and I personally enjoyed it a lot.”

Azza became a vital cog in Kenkre’s squad this season, where he started all 7 games and performed exceptionally in every one of them. He also scored a fantastic goal against ARA FC, where Kenkre won by 2-1. “I have worked hard to play for Kenkre, and I think I performed well because I gave it my all. It was a proud moment for me that I got to start every match.”

Kenkre missed out on the title after they drew the must-win decider game against Rajasthan United, who went on to lift the trophy and qualify for the I-League. “It’s unfortunate that we missed out on this great opportunity. but I guess we will definitely come back much stronger and better.”

The Mumbaikar started his career with Carmelites SC, a local club from Mumbai that played in different Bandra leagues. After that, Azza never looked back, and he went on to play for Mumbai City FC juniors, then PIFA Colaba, where he had his first exposure to the top tier of Mumbai football. After his stint with PIFA, he was picked up by KSA, who represented in the MDFA elite division. Then finally, he was a part of Air India in 2019, which lifted the MDFA Nadkarni Trophy.

Speaking about Mumbai football, Azza said, “We have a huge number of talent in Mumbai, who all need a platform to showcase it. I think Kenkre is doing a great job to help the local players, which can make a big difference for all the Mumbaikars. I wish we could have got that I-league spot, and then the story would have been different altogether, but it’s ok, there’s a lot to come in future.”

Azza dreams of playing for the national side one day, which is his and his parents biggest dream. To conclude, Azza thanked all the team members, staff, coach of Kenkre FC for the recent eventful campaign and also his family and friends who have supported him until date.

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What has been your talk to the boys after the victory against Oman?

I have told them to stay humble, and dream big. From my experience I asked them to forget the game against Oman, and concentrate on the following one. We achieved something nobody really expected us to. So I want our boys to enjoy their football, and play their hearts out.

Expectations have risen after the result against Oman. How is the team dealing with it?

We need to be realistic because UAE are technically a far better team than Oman. So let’s not get overdosed after winning one game. Our boys played brilliant football against Oman, and that’s all we are looking for in the next game.

Do you spot any extra pressure?

I won’t allow them to feel any sort of pressure. We came here to gain some experience, and to check where we stand against strong oppositions. Nothing more than that.

What are your views about the UAE as an opposition?

They are a properly developed team. Their movements on the pitch and the passing are extremely impressive. So we need to be extra careful about not losing positions early. They lost their first match and that will keep them highly motivated, which means we need to be prepared for a bigger challenge. We need to be aware that keeping tight lines, and not dropping too deep will be crucial against UAE.

CREDITS- AIFF MEDIA

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Football Sports Development (FSDL) and South Asia’s leading esports company NODWIN Gaming today announced the launch of eISL as the Indian Super League becomes the country’s first major sports league to venture into competitive gaming, in collaboration with EA SPORTS TM. FSDL has been consistently curating new concepts and platforms to explore the youthful and global facets of football and eISL is another exciting platform to engage the growing number of young football fans in India with the rapidly growing online gaming spectrum. NODWIN Gaming will be the tournament organizer for eISL.

The first edition of eISL is set to debut alongside ISL season 2021-22 from November 20. The eISL finals will be held on March 20, 2022, with a mega prize pool of INR 74 Lacs and an additional INR 4 Lacs for the Season MVP. 22 esports athletes, 11 male and 11 female, will represent all 11 ISL clubs, driving inclusivity with the growing female presence in the esports arena.

A total of 117 matches will be played as this new esports tournament in collaboration with NODWIN Gaming and EA SPORTS TM will determine the champion of the eISL and will also be an official league qualifying event to the EA SPORTS TM FIFA22 GLOBAL SERIES (FGS) Playoffs as ISL becomes the contributing league for the global tournament post its historic inclusion in EA SPORTS TM FIFA 22.

Aspiring EA SPORTS TM FIFA 22 esports athletes of the country will compete in a total of 11 online qualifiers. Each qualifier will determine the representatives for the 11 clubs – 1 qualifier per club. Each club will play 2 athletes – 1 male & 1 female. An additional 12th all-female qualifiers will determine the selection of the female players in each club.  The rest of the 11 qualifiers will be held in the order of the final ISL 2020-21 season standings. The tournament will have online qualifiers, regular season and grand finals. The clubs will play round-robin matches alongside the inaugural eISL season and a leader board will be put in place. The top 4 clubs will advance to the Grand Finals. The finalists will play in a double-elimination format to determine the winner. Keeping the safety measures in place, a bio-secure bubble will be set up for players in Gurugram, Haryana during the course of the eISL season.

 

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Says Martin Bain, Chief Executive Officer at FSDL, “Fan engagement is one of the key factors to building a sport and expanding its footprint. The growing online gaming landscape in India provides a great opportunity to engage with the next generation of fans in the country. The esports experience is vital to the future of football and we continue to evolve towards its growth.”

“eISL is an exciting platform and we are confident that it will lead the evolution of fan engagement and contribute significantly to boost the sport’s popularity in the country.”

“NODWIN Gaming along with Indian Super League and EA SPORTS TM aims to select the best FIFA players through EA SPORTS TM FIFA Global Series India Qualifiers. The strong equity of ISL in India, coupled with the vibrancy of FIFA 22 is sure to spark the intrigue of viewers and players alike. This is sure to bring joy to the millions of esports fans in India”, said Mr. Akshat Rathee, MD & Co-Founder, NODWIN Gaming.

EA SPORTS TM FIFA Global Series, the most inclusive esports tournament has reached the sub-continent as part of its global expansion. With many of the world’s biggest football leagues running qualifying events, the EA SPORTS TM FIFA Global Series brings mammoth participation and viewership. NODWIN Gaming aims to bring together the followers of the sport and the lovers of esports under one blanket to embrace the beauty of the sport in a different shape and form.

The qualifications will take place between 1-3 November 2021 and the Grand Finals on 19 & 20 March 2022.

Registrations for the qualifiers will be held on ESL Play and from the events section on PlayStation. Players will have to create an ESL Play ID to register for the tournament on the ESL Play platform. The minimum age to enter the competition is 16.

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The teams from across India have been divided into groups across five zones – North Zone, West Zone, South Zone, East Zone, and the North-East Zone. The teams finishing at the top of their respective groups will then progress to the Final Round of the Hero Santosh Trophy, which is set to take place in Kerala, later this year.

East Zone

Group A: Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar.

Fixtures:

December 1: Odisha vs Bihar, Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar.

December 3: Bihar vs Jharkhand, Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar.

December 5: Jharkhand vs Odisha, Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar.

Group B: West Bengal, Sikkim, Chhattisgarh.

Fixtures:

November 21: Chhattisgarh vs West Bengal, Kalyani Municipal Stadium, Kalyani.

November 23: Sikkim vs Chhattisgarh, Kalyani Municipal Stadium, Kalyani.

November 25: West Bengal vs Sikkim, Kalyani Municipal Stadium, Kalyani.

North-East Zone

Group A: Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam.

Fixtures:

November 28: Assam vs Meghalaya, JLN Stadium, Shillong.

November 30: Arunachal Pradesh vs Assam, JLN Stadium, Shillong.

December 2: Meghalaya vs Arunachal Pradesh, JLN Stadium, Shillong.

Group B: Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland.

Fixtures:

November 28: Manipur vs Nagaland, Khuman Lampak Stadium, Imphal.

November 28: Mizoram vs Tripura, Khuman Lampak Stadium, Imphal.

November 30: Tripura vs Manipur, Khuman Lampak Stadium, Imphal.

November 30: Nagaland vs Mizoram, Khuman Lampak Stadium, Imphal.

December 2: Tripura vs Nagaland, Khuman Lampak Stadium, Imphal.

December 2: Manipur vs Mizoram, Khuman Lampak Stadium, Imphal.

North Zone

Group A: Chandigarh, Services, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh.

Fixtures:

November 21: Services vs Himachal Pradesh, Sports Complex, Sector 7, Chandigarh.

November 21: J&K vs Chandigarh, Sports Complex, Sector 7, Chandigarh.

November 23: Chandigarh vs UP, Sports Complex, Sector 7, Chandigarh.

November 23: J&K vs Services, Sports Complex, Sector 7, Chandigarh.

November 25: UP vs J&K, Sports Complex, Sector 7, Chandigarh.

November 25: Himachal Pradesh vs Chandigarh, Sports Complex, Sector 7, Chandigarh.

November 27: Himachal Pradesh vs J&K, Sports Complex, Sector 7, Chandigarh.

November 27: Services vs UP, Sports Complex, Sector 7, Chandigarh.

November 29: UP vs Himachal Pradesh, Sports Complex, Sector 7, Chandigarh.

November 29: Chandigarh vs Services, Sports Complex, Sector 7, Chandigarh.

Group B: Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand.

Fixtures:

December 1: Delhii vs Uttarakhand, JLN Stadium, New Delhi.

December 1: Punjab vs Haryana, JLN Stadium, New Delhi.

December 3: Haryana vs Delhi, JLN Stadium, New Delhi.

December 3: Uttarakhand vs Punjab, JLN Stadium, New Delhi.

December 5: Haryana vs Uttarakhand, JLN Stadium, New Delhi.

December 5: Delhi vs Punjab, JLN Stadium, New Delhi.

West Zone

Group A: Gujarat, Goa, Daman & Diu, Dadra & Nagar Haveli.

Fixtures:

November 24: Gujarat vs D&N, MK Bhavnagar University, Bhavnagar.

November 24: Goa vs D&D, MK Bhavnagar University, Bhavnagar.

November 26: D&D vs Gujarat, MK Bhavnagar University, Bhavnagar.

November 26: D&N vs Goa, MK Bhavnagar University, Bhavnagar.

November 28: D&D vs D&N, MK Bhavnagar University, Bhavnagar.

November 28: Gujarat vs Goa, MK Bhavnagar University, Bhavnagar.

Group B: Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh.

December 1: MP vs Rajasthan, Poornima University, Jaipur.

December 3: Maharashtra vs MP, Poornima University, Jaipur.

December 3: Rajasthan vs Maharashtra, Poornima University, Jaipur.

South Zone

Group A: Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu.

Fixtures:

November 23: Karnataka vs Tamil Nadu, BFS, Bengaluru.

November 23: Telangana vs Andhra Pradesh, BFS, Bengaluru.

November 25: Andhra Pradesh vs Karnataka, BFS, Bengaluru.

November 25: Tamil Nadu vs Telangana, BFS, Bengaluru.

November 27: Andhra Pradesh vs Tamil Nadu, BFS, Bengaluru.

November 27: Karnataka vs Telangana, BFS, Bengaluru.

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Also Read: 16 year old Arunachal boy Gyamar Nikum makes his debuts in I league Qualifiers

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Igor Stimac, after the recent success in the SAFF Championship in Maldives, got into the act quickly in pursuit of qualification to the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2022 for the first time ever since the inception of the tournament in 2013.

He started with experienced Dheeraj Singh under the woodwork and two full-backs in the form of Asish Rai and Akash Mishra to support the attacking moves. Deepak Tangri and Narender Gahlot were put in at the heart of the defence. India’s U-17 FIFA World Cupper duo Jeakson Singh and Suresh Wangjam (captain) manned the middle of the park, while Rahul KP and Vikram Partap Singh were deployed at the flanks. Rahim Ali and Aniket Jadhav were at the attacking third.

Before the opponents could settle in, Igor Stimac’s boys started hurling attacks from both wings and in the fifth minute, Vikram earned a penalty that Rahim Ali calmly converted. Omani goalkeeper Ibrahim Yousuf had guessed the right way, but Rahim’s spot-kick was placed perfectly, as the ball went past the upright and nestled into the side-netting.

Six minutes later, Akash floated in a delicious cross from the left but the goalkeeper leapt above Aniket to grab it without any fuss. Vikram and Rahul, with their lightning speed, kept the Omani midfield on their toes throughout, something that helped them punch through for the second goal in the 37th minute.

Akash took on his own to penetrate the midfield and passed it onto an onrushing Rahim Ali, who rounded off his marker and pushed the ball onto an unmarked Vikram towards his right. The youngster made no mistake to slot it home past an onrushing keeper. That goal gave India the clear upper hand, as the two teams trudged back into the tunnel at half-time.

After the resumption, India could have made it three through Aniket Jadhav, but he was ruled offside. Rahul KP made one of his signature darting runs, as he cut in from the left, jinked past a defender, and unleashed a shot on goal, which was saved. Aniket was lurking nearby and tried to pounce on the rebound, but was flagged offside.

Two minutes to the hour-mark, Asish Rai made a crucial block to deny Fahad Masaao, thus maintaining India’s two-goal advantage.

Stimac made a few changes towards the end of the game and the boys responded in a similar manner to hold their fortress against Oman.

Bryce Miranda, who was thrown into the fray on 71 minutes, almost scored his first goal in the 80th. Having played a brilliant one-two with Rahim Ali, he snuck into the Oman penalty box from the left corner but eventually miscued his effort.

In the final minute of the regulation time, Omani substitute Waleed Salim tucked in a cross from Abdullah Mohammed Al Balushi to halve the gap, but the Indian defenders clung onto their lead towards the final whistle to leave the pitch with all three points.

Following the win, India join the Kyrgyz Republic at the top of Group E with equal points and an identical goal difference. Indian are scheduled to face hosts UAE at the same venue at IST 10:00 PM on Wednesday (October 27, 2021) in their next fixture.

India U-23 XI: Dheeraj Singh; Asish Rai (Hormipam Ruivah 71′, Narender Gahlot, Deepak Tangri, Akash Mishra; Vikram Partap Singh (Bryce Miranda 71′), Suresh Singh, Jeakson Singh, Rahul KP; Aniket Jadhav (Amarjit Singh 60′), Rahim Ali.

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