India goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu stressed the intensity of the fixture:

“It won’t change the competitiveness or the fierceness of the game. It’s always a big game for them and for the people of Bangladesh because it’s against India.”
He added:
“We need to be prepared mentally and physically because it’s always a tough game. It might not be the nicest game to watch. It might be scrappy, and we as a team need to be ready for any challenge.”

Defender Sandesh Jhingan echoed the focus with a simple approach:

“Our expectations are very simple. Play to our full potential, and stick to the system for as long as we can during the game. If we can do that, the rest will follow.”

Having faced Bangladesh in Dhaka in previous tournaments, India know the environment will be demanding. But they appear calm, well-prepared and ready to take on the challenge as they aim to make impact in this vital qualifier.

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COLOMBO, SRI LANKA: The India U17 men’s national team began their SAFF U17 Championship 2025 title defence in an emphatic fashion as they cruised to a 6-0 demolition of Maldives in their opening Group B encounter at the Racecourse International Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Tuesday, September 16, 2025.

The Blue Colts were clinical and commanding from the first whistle as they sliced through the Maldives defence at will and announced their championship intent with a fluid, attacking performance.

Dallalmuon Gangte struck twice, while Hrishikesh Charan Manavathi, Kamgouhao Doungel, Wangkheirakpam Gunleiba, and Aazim Parveez Najar joined the scoresheet in what was a complete performance at both ends of the pitch.

The match was barely settling when India seized control. Bibiano Fernandes’ side played with high press and kept possession with confident passing patterns. They also constantly switched flanks to pull the Maldives defence out of shape, with Wangkheirakpam Gunleiba in particular proving unplayable on the left wing. His pace and intelligent crossing repeatedly carved open spaces in the final third.

India took the lead in the 12th minute. Wangkheirakpam darted past his marker, cut inside and whipped in a delightful ball. Manavathi cleverly dummied the cross, deceiving the Maldives goalkeeper completely and leaving Gangte with a simple conversion into an empty net.

India doubled their advantage in the 29th minute. It was again Wangkheirakpam creating the havoc, blazing down the left and squaring a low ball for Manavathi, who muscled past Ibrahim Avsam Abdulla to steer in the second.

Maldives offered little in response. Aside from speculative attempts from Aakif Bin Mohammed and Aidh Mohammed Jaweez, the islanders were second best in every department.

The Blue Colts continued their rout in the second half too and extended their lead further in the 49th minute. After being teed up by Denny Singh Wangkhem, Wangkheirakpam provided his third assist of the match with a cross across the face of the Maldives goal and Doungel powered his shot into the roof of the net.

Wangkheirakpam then crowned his stellar performance with a goal of his own in the 58th minute. After Wangkhem stole the ball high up the pitch, he released Wangkheirakpam, who left his defender in the dust before unleashing a thunderous left-footed strike into the far corner.

Maldives’ composure disintegrated under constant waves of Indian attacks and, in the 68th minute, the harassed Avsam Abdulla brought down Rahan Ahmed in the box. Gangte stepped up from the spot and confidently slotted home his second of the match, making it 5-0.

But India weren’t done. With four minutes remaining, Azlaan Shah floated in a teasing cross from the right which substitute Aazim Parveez Najar met with a precise header, rounding off the rout in the 86th minute.

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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However, the U23 boys will stay back in the Garden City as the U23 squad flies to Dubai for the AFC U-23 Qualifiers on October 20.

There was a rousing reception at the team hotel late yesterday (October 16) night – all the Indian employees braving the rain, and having gathered at the jetty to welcome their heroes. Most of them had been regulars to cheer at the ground except the final. In fact, the rain and the strong wind prevented them from going to the ground to cheer – the turbulence in the sea, not allowing them to take the regular small boat which the authorities felt was ‘dangerous.’

The two babies in the team – Lalengmawia and Suresh Singh, the darling of their seniors, just haven’t been able to stop smiling overnight. “This is my first trophy win at the senior level. It’s a different feeling,” Lalengmawia maintained.

Meanwhile, Suresh Singh’s strike has still been the talking point, as much as Abdul Sahal’s strike. “I am proud of my son,” Gurpreet-‘paaji’ has been declaring every alternate minute. Gurpreet and Suresh share an excellent bonding among themselves, with the former referring to the talented midfielder as his ‘son.’

There’s also someone who hasn’t stopped smiling – Abdul Sahal. He immediately blushes when one reminds him of going on and on with the ball, and cutting in and in inside the box.

“Nothing much in it,” he tries in vain to dismiss it, even as Liston Colaco stands next, “That was indeed special.”

“Unbelievable,” Sahal commented. “I think it’s a miracle,” he smiled again. “I don’t know what happened inside the box. I came in for the last 4-5 minutes. My teammates have been working hard – it all goes to them. But I just don’t remember what happened inside the box. I got it and went in. This is an amazing feeling,” Sahal expressed.

“We were doubted by all. We were written off by all after the first two games in which we drew. The character on display, the attitude, the determination of this talented side is amazing,” he quipped, as Liston hugged him from behind.

At almost every step, the Blue Tigers dedicated it to their two injured teammates – Farukh Choudhary, and Brandon Fernandes, who weren’t able to travel to the ground. Even as Mandar Rao Dessai and Glan Martins carried Brandon’s jersey with them, Rahul Bheke preferred to wear Farukh’s jersey even at the victory podium.

“Farukh and Brandon are very much here, and a part of this triumph. Their contribution in this Championship will never go unnoticed. I wore Farukh’s jersey as I wanted him to be with us during the trophy celebrations,” Bheke had to almost shout to make himself audible owing to the high decibel levels from the stands.

Most of them also demonstrated to the duo over a video call the celebratory mode of the team.

You turn to the Head Coach. He smiled. “The boys have done it,” is all he uttered. Stimac has been tireless all throughout the Championship, looking at every minute detail, fine tuning and adjusting the technicalities during the training sessions, thus prompting the performance graph to go higher, and higher.

Pritam Kotal, Subhasish Bose, Anirudh Thapa, Manvir Singh and all the rest were posing and clicking all throughout. “This is my second SAFF triumph,” Pritam declared. “Hopefully, more are to come. This will stay for long for us bouncing back after being dismissed by most after the first two matches.”

“We made it special as we were not so good in the first two games. It was tough from there to come up and play the way we did,” captain Sunil Chhetri averred. For the record, this is Sunil’s third triumph in the SAFF Championship as a player.

“Look at the youngsters – it feels good for all of them. It’s all due to their hard work – we were here for 20 days till the final, staying on an island, riding the waves every day for practice sessions, and matches,” Sunil went on. “Boss was here today,” he pointed to Assistant Coach Shanmugam Venkatesh. “He won it as a player, and now as a coach.”

Venkatesh, a former India captain, just smiled. “Stimac has been a huge guiding force. The manner the staff and players stuck together just shows the team spirit. Football is a team game, and we proved it,” Venkatesh opined.

“Congratulations,” quipped a young Dutch couple who are here on a honeymoon. “We watched it on television, and enjoyed it. The Cup is at our hotel – wow. But where is the trophy? You should have brought it to the breakfast table,” he said. “Good going, keep it up.”

CREDITS- AIFF MEDIA

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The sentiment stays the same among the tourists from other countries – from Portugal, Russia, The Netherlands, the UK, USA, and others. “The Cup needs to come back to our hotel. We will be cheering for you guys.”

The Blue Tigers, however, understand the job is not yet done – there’s still a match left to be conquered – the SAFF Championship final against Nepal.

“We are not allowing complacency to step in. We are aware of what we need to do. There is a very tiny line between being confident and overconfident and I am keeping a close eye that we don’t cross that line,” Head Coach Igor Stimac stated.

“We are rising as a group, as a team and as a big family playing better football with every given day. We have to be patient, keep working hard and be confident. Nepal are a known opponent to us, as much we are to them. We take confidence in having won the last two matches. But I reiterate, we are not overconfident,” Stimac added.

The Blue Tigers had their practice session earlier today (October 15, 2021), and the to and fro travel was extremely turbulent – the Indian Ocean being extremely rough which led to some of the boys experiencing nausea.

The team news stays that three players have already been ruled out of the final – besides, Farukh Choudhury (ACL injury), Brandon Fernandes (quadriceps injury), and Subhashish Bose (suspended owing to a red card) are not available for selection.

Assistant Coach Shanmugam Venkatesh maintained that the boys need to “enjoy the final.”

“Nepal are an extremely competitive team, and the motivation of playing for both teams in a final is quite normal. We respect Nepal as a team. We have told our boys to enjoy the final,” Venkatesh, who won two SAFF Championships as a player, uttered.

“It gives us the satisfaction that there are some boys from the U-17 World Cup batch who are settling in fast into the Senior Team. The players realise the importance of the final and the character on display after the first two games have been exemplary. Youngsters like Lalengmawia, Suresh, Yasir have played a huge role on and off the pitch, while the seniors have gelled well with Sunil, Gurpreet, Kotal, Subhashish, and Bheke leading from the front to keep the flag flying high,” he expressed.

“We are ready to give our best in the final. We understand that it won’t be an easy match. We are a young team, and the coach wants to build up a team for the future. I am eager to play my part as much as the others,” Lalengmawia maintained.

“The medical staff needs to be lauded. Playing 5 matches in 13 days is tough on the players, and there is no way it would have been possible had not the medical staff worked incredibly hard to keep them fit,” Venkatesh explained.

Stimac informed that though Subhashish will be missed, he is working on an able replacement. “Subhashish will be missed for sure because he is a left-footed player. He was our sole option as a left central defender at this stage, but we are working to replace him,” the Head Coach informed.

The team captain indicated that the boys are working on the recovery process. “We didn’t start the manner we were expected to. To win a game that was a must-win for us amidst hostile conditions was really satisfying.

But we know the work is not done yet. So we are working on the recovery process, trying to eat, sleep and rest well and step on the pitch and win a trophy.” The kick-off against Nepal on Saturday (October 16, 2021) is at IST 8.30 pm and the match will be telecast live on Eurosport.

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India had a dominant start to the game, putting the two fullbacks to use, in order to stretch the opposition. Mandar Rao Dessai, who was playing left-back, went on a few dangerous outings, and on the quarter-hour mark, almost found Sunil Chhetri with a dangerous cross. However, the India skipper could not connect his header, as the ball went inches over him and into the keeper Sujan Perera’s hands.

Liston Colaco had a big chance in the 22nd minute, when Udanta Singh was played through into some space on the right flank, and swung a cross into the box. Liston had managed to lose his marker and had a free header, but mistimed it as the ball looped over the bar.

Moments later, it was Udanta again, who weaved past two defenders into the box, and passed it through to Seriton. The latter sold a dummy to a lunging defender, and looked set to send in a cut-back, but was flagged offside.

Udanta had a crack at goal from just outside the box after Anirudh Thapa worked a short corner to him, but again his shot went wide on the half-hour mark. The Blue Tigers controlled the ebb and flow of the game for much of the first half, but the Sri Lankan defence held tight, as the two teams went into the tunnel at halftime level on scores.

Blue Tigers boss Igor Stimac brought on Yasir Mohammad in place of Suresh Wangjam, at the start of the second half, and that substitution seemed to have an immediate effect. The midfielder acted as a pivot in the middle of the park, controlling the ebb and flow of the game.

Liston and Udanta kept charging at the Sri Lankan defenders from both the wings, looking to find their captain in the middle of the box. However, the rub of the green evaded the Indians.

Yasir was again involved in a close chance a little under 10 minutes into the second half, when his free-kick was met by Chhetri inside the box, but the latter’s header was tipped over the crossbar by Sujan Perera.

Minutes later, Chhetri played Udanta through behind the defence, setting the winger up for a one-on-one finish against Perera, but the assistant referee had already raised his flag.

Mandar Rao Dessai booted a low cross across the face of the goal on the hour mark, and Thapa only had to connect with it properly to turn it in from close range, but the ball evaded him. That was the last real chance for Thapa, as Stimac soon replaced him with Sahal Abdul Samad, while bringing on Farukh Choudhary for Liston Colaco.

That substitution almost had an instant effect too, as Farukh volleyed a stray ball home from just inside the area; his shot took a deflection, before going through the keeper’s legs. However, the referee had already blown his whistle for a foul against Subhasish Bose.

With 10 minutes of regulation time left on the clock, Stimac brought Manvir Singh on for Mandar Rao Dessai, in a bid to boost the attack. That certainly gave the wingers more teammates to aim their crosses at, and with minutes of regulation time left, Udanta played a cut-back towards Manvir from a dangerous position, but the ball was eventually cut out.

Chhetri created another opportunity on the 89th, nodding a corner towards Subhasish, who looked like he could score from point-blank range, but his chance was again foiled by the Sri Lankan defence.

Eight minutes of injury time were added on by the referee, and India created a couple of chances in the dying moments as well. In the first instance, Gurpreet hoofed a long ball upfield, to Subhasish, who nodded it to Manvir’s path, but Perera came out and smothered the ball.

With just one minute of injury time to go, Sahal had a golden chance, when Farukh sent in a low cut-back from the left. The midfielder, taking a touch, attempted to chip the keeper, but Perera was up to the task, as he leapt high and grabbed the ball.

The referee soon brought an end to the game, with the two sides playing out a stalemate. The Blue Tigers play Nepal in their next game at the same venue on Sunday, October 10, 2021, with the match kicking off at 9.30 pm IST.

CREDITS- AIFF MEDIA

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“Bangladesh are a known opponent, but we respect them immensely. In fact, we respect each and every team playing out here, and they have an equal chance to win the tournament,” the coach said.

Team captain Sunil Chhetri stressed that the “message from our coaching staff and Head Coach is very clear.”

“It is more and much more about how we play. We got to make sure that we minimise our mistakes, and we have to make sure that in every game no matter what, we give 100 percent. We cannot be complacent,” Sunil warned.

It’s been raining in patches, and the locals inform us that in October in Maldives, the rain won’t persist for an entire day unlike the monsoon. “We never take rain seriously this time of the year, unless there’s a threat of depression in the ocean. If it rains just take shelter, check your mobile for 10 minutes. By that time the rain will subside,” laughs the team coordinator Ibrahim, a former footballer. “Of course, you can also walk in the rain.”

Stimac made no secret that he will be making the most of ATK Mohun Bagan and Bengaluru FC players having played in Maldives earlier in the AFC Cup. “We rely on Bengaluru FC and ATKMB players because not only they played here a few weeks back, but they started work with their respective clubs. And they had enough training sessions, and games in their legs. So their engines are good for such a tournament,” he expressed.

“We need to be careful as to how many minutes we give to each player corresponding to what they can do at the moment with regards to endurance capacities.”

Goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, who was part of the triumphant squad in 2015 added: “Teams have vastly improved from the last time we played them. Teams have become more organised, and they know how to play according to the other team’s weaknesses. You cannot take any team lightly anymore.”

Sunil, a veteran of 16 years in International football, stressed that he doesn’t want to lose any game for the country. “When you are young you play for a lot of things. As you get older, a lot of them diminishes. I’ve played over 100 games for India, I don’t have another 100 and I want to make the most of all the games I have left. I want to win a game if I am playing for my country. Both the games against Bangladesh have been extremely difficult ones. I don’t want to lose any game for my country,” he opined.

Stimac also made a mention of Udanta Singh, who got a “deserving call-up” to the National squad. “Udanta is one of 23 players we have here. He deserved that call with his last game playing for Bengaluru in the AFC Cup. Udanta wasn’t playing in his natural position in the past two years,” Stimac explained. “We need him to be back to his best – direct striking forward with his speed, executing and preparing the chances.”

Other than Sunil and Gupreet, Pritam Kotal was also a part of the triumphant squad in 2015. “It seems like yesterday that we won the SAFF Championship in Thiruvananthapuram in January 2016. I still remember the wild celebrations which we had in the dressing room after the triumph against Afghanistan in the final where everybody had danced. The support in the final was kind of exceptional. After all, the passion for football in Kerala is unparalleled,” he smiled. “The team spirit was exceptional, and everyone backed each other up. We had our recovery and volleyball sessions at the Kovalam beach, even on New Year’s Day.”

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, sitting next, quipped: “The edition of 2015-16 will stay with me forever. It was a wonderful tournament and a majestic final against a supremely well-knit Afghanistan side who were on the rampage. We deserved to be in the final and it was lovely to win it in front of the home crowd – win it for the people of our country, and for the fans who filled the stadium in numbers.” The kick-off tomorrow (Monday, October 4) is at IST 4.30 pm.

CREDITS – AIFF MEDIA

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The ride through the pristine waters of the Indian Ocean took almost 40 minutes, causing a bit of discomfort to the Blue Tigers – most (rather all) of whom are not quite accustomed to travelling over the ocean on a regular basis.

That, however, doesn’t dampen the spirit of the squad, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu expressed, “It feels great to be back in Maldives. The weather is good right now and hopefully, we will make the nation proud, and give them something to cheer about.”

“We are ready and the boys have been playing some football which is good. We hope to carry the momentum into the Championship and reach the finals,” he continued. India begin their campaign against Bangladesh on Monday, October 4.

The team hotel appears like the UN Capital with people from various nationalities enjoying their vacation in this secluded island within the island nation and within a bubble. The serene country was one of the first holiday destinations which had opened their doors to the world during the pandemic, with an exceptionally low percentage of positive cases in the country.

“It’s so nice to see families out on a holiday while adhering to all the health parameters. That’s something which has been quite unheard of since the last 19 months, That’s the normalcy which we all aspire to get back to — the earlier the better,” quipped Anirudh Thapa.

“But we are not on a vacation. We have a task at hand, and it’s a tough one. Football is what we are here for. For us, the vacation can wait,” Thapa explained.

The contingent had undergone an RTPCR test prior to arrival in the Maldives, and as per the tournament guidelines also went through another RTPCR test upon arrival at the hotel.

The first practice session is at the Football Association of Maldives artificial training pitch, and the contingent travels back to Male – the capital city, a to-and-fro cruise on the speedboat piercing through the Indian Ocean once again. “The boat rides will be a common feature for us in the next two weeks,” smiled Rahul Bheke at the morning screening session.

“This is my first SAFF Championship, and I want to make it a memorable one. The quality in our side is unmistakable. We have played seven International matches since March, and looking back, we ask ourselves as to how many teams have played that much during the pandemic. We are here to make our mark, and I will prefer to take it day by day,” he uttered.

CREDITS- AIFF MEDIA

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The Blue Tigers haven’t been able to get a practice field since their first match on September 2 and have been stuck in the team hotel since then. Though it looks decent from the surface, the heavy and wet underfoot conditions at the practice pitch made available to India at the Army Headquarters is extremely dangerous with almost the entire boot of the players being submerged in water the moment they take the field. With that injury risk, the team management is equally concerned and confused as to how to go about the situation.

After Thursday’s 1-1 stalemate, India will take on their neighbors Nepal in the second international friendly at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Sunday. The competency to accelerate the recovery process, adapt the mind frame – all in an effort in uplifting the game makes the FIFA windows unusual. There’s not much time left barely some hours.

When to watch- September 5 (5.15pm IST)

Where to watch- Indian Football Team’s Facebook Page

Venue- Dasharath Stadium,Kathmandu

The game was a tough enough and Nepal were very well prepared. Including the moments where team India could have done better as a team, and there were moments where they did get better. The blues need to make sure that they have a strong mentality going into the second and not give anything to a team who is looking for something all the fit. Indian team needs to make sure that they use it to prepare for the SAFF Championship in good order.

The mood is positive and our boys are aware that they can do much better,” informs Head Coach Igor Stimac. “Of course, we are still short with the energy level because we are just at the end of the second week of preparation, and the legs are still heavy. But, they are looking forward to putting in a better performance,” he adds.

On match day plus one, i.e., on September 3 (Friday) efforts, and plans of the recovery-cum-practice session got cancelled owing to a downpour. “We are going to change a few things, and see if that can help us in terms of passing with more confidence, and getting forward easier,” Stimac informs.

The goal-scorer of the other day Anirudh Thapa was limping till the other night after having suffered a knock above his ankle. “But I am fine now,” assures Anirudh, who was part of the victorious India U-15 National Team winning the SAFF title in Kathmandu some years back.

“I have been working on my short sprints, especially my start. That allowed me to connect the ball ahead of my marker, and even goalkeeper Kiran-bhai (Kiran Limbu),” he explains. “We were much better in the second half in the first match and wished the match could have continued for some more time for us to find the winner. As it kicks off tomorrow (September 5), we look ahead to a continuation, and manner we played in the second half,” Anirudh quips.

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After being awarded the ‘Man of the Match’ in his first-ever International appearance for the Blue Tigers, Rahim Ali said: “The level of intensity in International Football is much higher. The reaction time is much less and that highlights how fast decision making on the field needs to be for any player. I want to build on from here.”

“The seniors have been extremely supportive, and that was a huge motivation in itself. Coach told me not to get tense, and stressed on me doing the same stuff which I do in training,” he added.

Referring back to the first International Friendly against Nepal which ended 1-1, Coach Stimac averred: “The game had two phases. The first 45 minutes wasn’t good, and I am not happy at all. That’s why I made four changes at half-time, and the second half was far better as all could see. We were passing the ball, had good pace on the ball, we were picking up second balls, and coming into the final third with quality – all of which was missing in the first 45 minutes.”

Defender Seriton Fernandes who came in as a substitute in the second half reiterated the “special feeling” of putting on the National Team jersey.

“Whenever any kid starts playing football, representing his country stays his ultimate dream. All these years came rushing through my head when I took to the field,” he smiled.

“There is a feeling of everything and everyone being on the edge at all times during the game. In fact, I have been waiting for a long time to join the camp. This time too me reporting to the National team hit a roadblock and I want to thank the coach for granting me permission to join the team in Nepal.”

Stimac explained that “Nepal relied on tight defensive blocks and counter-attacks.”

“India are the better side – we all agree, and we can play better quality football. Nepal relied on a bad pitch, tight defensive blocks, and counter-attacks. When they came to the final third, they put in dangerous crosses inside the box. The coach has put in a stable composure in the team, they have good discipline, and are showing their quality in many parts of the game.”

The next International Friendly between the two countries is scheduled for September 5.

CREDITS- AIFF MEDIA

For Trial related updates: Latest trials updates in Mumbai Football

Also Read: First International Friendly between India and Nepal ends in draw

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