With this, the India U23 side ended their FIFA Window two-match friendly tour of Malaysia. In the first match last week, the Blue Colts lost 1-2 at the same venue.

On Monday night, Malaysia U23 took the lead in the 48^th minute off an own goal by Abhishek Suryavanshi. India U23 came back to restore parity in the 62^nd minute through M Thoiba Singh.

India’s head coach, Naushad Moosa, himself a former India defender, made changes from the starting eleven that played in the first friendly tie. He said, “It was important to give equal opportunities to all the players. It helped us to know the potential of the players at the international level.”

The coach said, “All the players were fit and had a positive mindset. The four-day camp we had in Delhi was really good and all the players adapted to the style we wanted to play.”

India U23: Vishal Yadav (Arsh Anwer Shaikh 78’), M Thoiba Singh, Sandip Mandi, Narender (C), Robin Yadav, Abhishek Dhananjay Suryavanshi, C Shivaldo Singh (Mark Zothanpuia 81’), Sivasakthi Narayanan (Vishnu Puthiya Valappil 89’), Ninthoinganba Meetei, Abdul Rabeeh Anjukandan (Mohammed Aimen 76’), Parthib Sundar Gogoi (Mohammed Sanan Kundoyi 71’). 

courtesy :- AIFF Media team.

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The kick-off for which is slated at 9:30 PM IST.

With 11 players coming from AIFF’s developmental side, the Indian Arrows, that participated in the Hero I-League and notched up some bright results under their belt including a win against Mohun Bagan, Derrick is aiming to build for the future with the core of the squad coming from the Arrows project.

Pereira shared, “They (young players) are our future. It’s not only about the match against Qatar or the U-23 Championship qualifiers. We should have a long term plan for them so that they can excel in future. The experience of representing the nation in the U-17 FIFA World Cup would help them improve on and off the pitch. If they are provided with the right kind of experience and exposure regularly, India football will go a long way.”

Incidentally, India faced Qatar in the AFC U-23 Championship qualifiers of the previous edition at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium Stadium in Doha on July 21, 2017. Almoez Ali, who broke Ali Daei’s record of scoring the highest number of goals in a single edition of AFC Asian Cup recently, scored the solitary goal for the Gulf nation to pip India that day.

“We are primarily focusing on finding the right combination and our style of game. Uzbekistan are the reigning U-23 Asian champions and Tajikistan are a respectable side as well who we’re going to face in the qualifiers. We can gauge ourselves after the Qatar game and as I’ve said, we’ll focus more on our game rather than our opponents”, Pereira stated.

The 23-member-squad is as follows:

GOALKEEPERS: Dheeraj Singh, Prabhsukhan Gill.

DEFENDERS: Narender, Sarthak Golui, Wungngayam Muirang, Mehtab Singh, Anwar Ali, Asish Rai.

MIDFIELDERS: Jerry Mawihmingthanga, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Vinit Rai, Sahal Abdul, Amarjit Singh, Deepak Tangri, Rohit Kumar, Suresh Singh, Komal Thatal, Boris Singh, Rahul KP.

FORWARDS: Liston Colaco, Daniel Lalhlimpuia, Rahim Ali, Rohit Danu.

AIFF MEDIA

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“No I am not a kid,” Danu shakes his head. Boris Singh, standing next, puts his hand on his shoulder. Danu smiles again. “No I am not a kid.”

The average age of the probables in the ongoing India U-23 National Team Camp in Goa is 19 years and 4 months, with Danu being the youngest. Indian Football has grown young.

“I understand this is a U-23 Camp for the Indian National Team. Some of the seniors have already played for India, even in the Asian Cup. This is the best moment of my life,” Danu narrates. “But I am not a kid,” he reiterates. “I watch the Seniors on TV play for India regularly. I need to pinch myself that I am here.”

Head Coach Derrick Pereira, a former India International leans back on his chair, and smiles. “We have to look at younger players. We need to look at the future. This camp will help them believe they can make it to the top level,” he mentions in reference to the players from Indian Arrows in the Camp.

There are 9 boys from the Indian Arrows who have been summoned to the Camp. 8 of the probables have played in the FIFA U-17 World Cup, all of them have been part of the AIFF Youth Development set-up.

You glance through the list and discover that there are 19 boys in the camp who have been products of the AIFF YDP some time or the other.

“We always kept a tab on the Indian Arrows. They have made a mark, scored goals, won hearts. They deserve the call up,” Pereira adds.

At a distance, you spot Danu and Amarjit Singh flipping through the pages of a magazine.

“We have struggled a lot, and made a lot of sacrifices in our lives. At an age where all other kids are pampered, we have stayed away from our parents,” Amarjit, who captained India in the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 murmurs. “The journey in Arrows has made us stronger. We have stood by each other all throughout,” he stresses.

Assistant Coach Shanmugam Venkatesh, a former Indian National Team Captain glances at the road outside. “There was a football jam the day we returned winning the Federation Cup for Salgaocar FC,” his eyes lit up. “As we were paraded, all I could see was hordes of heads. Goa had come to a standstill,” he recollects.

“But Indian Football has moved a long way forward. The emphasis on youth is one of the most positive traits. The modern day game demands energy, fitness, strength.”

Amarjit maintains “playing in the U-17 World Cup was a dream for all of us.”

“But we cannot rest on that laurel. The target is now to move to the senior National side. It doesn’t matter to me whether I get selected into the final 23 or not. Getting a call up is a big thing for me,” he states. “Training with senior team players will make me stronger as a player. I get to work with the senior team staff.” Danu nods.

At the training session, Danu does a dummy to catch his marker unaware. As his marker recovers and chases, you couldn’t miss that unmistakable stance, soaked both in amazement and appreciation for the ‘kid.’

Indian Football is getting younger!

AIFF MEDIA

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The camp is being held as part of India’s preparation for the upcoming AFC U-23 Championship 2020 qualifiers which are slated to be held in Tashkent from March 22, 2019.

38 players have been summoned for the camp with 19 have joined so far. The rest will be dropping in after finishing their respective club commitments, both at the domestic level and also at the AFC Cup.

Not less than 8 players who had represented India in the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017, have also been called up. Overall, 11 players from India Arrows will be in action at the camp.

“It is important to get all the players together,” Coach Pereira maintained. “All the boys are coming back at the end of a long season. Ashique (Kuruniyan), Jerry (Lalrinzuala), Hitesh (Sharma) are ruled out. All of them will be badly missed,” he informed. “We need to check the niggles and fitness levels of all in the camp. We cannot afford to lose anyone anymore.”

Nishu Kumar, Anirudh Thapa, Mohd. Nawaz and Sairuatkima haven’t been able to join this camp owing to their club commitments, while Ashique Kuruniyan, Sahil Panwar and Jerry Lalrinzuala have been ruled out courtesy injuries and Hitesh Sharma is suffering from chicken pox.

The squad will be flying to Doha to play a friendly match against Qatar U-23 National Team before the continental championship qualifiers.

“I am very excited to play Qatar. I feel most of the boys from that team will go on to play in the FIFA World Cup in 2022. It will be a tough test.”

AIFF MEDIA

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Besides India, the other teams in the group are Tajikistan and Pakistan, with Uzbekistan being the hosts.

Pereira will be in charge of the preparatory camp in Goa which kicks-off from March 2, 2019. The team will also play a friendly match against Qatar U-23 at Doha on March 11.

AIFF General Secretary Mr. Kushal Das congratulated Pereira and said that his experience will be invaluable for the U-23 National Team. “His coaching pedigree along with AFC Pro Licence degree is the perfect recipe to guide our young players in the AFC U-23 qualifiers. We aim to qualify from the group to the AFC Championship next year, and I wish him and the team good luck,” Mr. Das said.

“It’s an absolute honor to get associated with the National Team set-up. I love to take challenges. I know most of the players and have seen them in action. But we need to find the right combination to perform and achieve the desired results,” Pereira said.

National Team Director and Former India skipper Abhishek Yadav said: “The experience of Derrick Pereira as a Coach will be important for our team. The preparatory camp will be followed by a practice match against Qatar U-23 which will be a huge test.” Pereira stressed that the challenge against Qatar will be ‘tough’.

“They are a quality side. I have a feeling that some of the U-23 boys from Qatar will be in their 2022 World Cup squad. It will be a tough challenge which will help us prepare for future assignments,” he added.

The list of probable’s is as follows:

GOALKEEPERS: Mohammed Nawaz, Prabhsukhan Gill, Arshdeep Singh, Dheeraj Singh.

DEFENDERS: Nishu Kumar, Kamalpreet Singh, Provat Lakra, Boris Singh, Sajid Dhot, Sairuatkima, Sarthak Golui, Sahil Panwar, Gaurav Bora, Narender Gahlot, Mehtab Singh, Anwar Ali, Wung Muirang, Asish Rai, Jerry Lalrinzuala.

MIDFIELDERS: Liston Colaco, Lalianzuala Chhangte, Ashique Kuruniyan, Vinit Rai, Anirudh Thapa, Sahal Abdul, Amarjit Singh, Deepak Tangri, Rohit Kumar, Suresh Singh, Komal Thatal, Rahul KP.

FORWARDS: Daniel Lalhlimpuia, Hitesh Sharma, Rahim Ali, Samuel Lalmuanpuia, Rohit Danu, Jerry Mawihminthanga.

Below is India’s schedule at the AFC U-23 Qualifiers:

March 22: Tajikistan vs India.

March 24: India vs Uzbekistan.

March 26: India vs Pakistan.

AIFF MEDIA

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The U-23 boys next play hosts and group favourites Qatar U-23 in their next match on Friday (July 21).

India began on a cautious note and pressed hard in their effort to unsettle the physically superior Syrians. The first chance of the day fell to striker Daniel Lalhlimpuia but the ex-AIFF Academy cadet could not make the most of the opportunity.

Nikhil Poojary on the right flank kept the rival defence busy with his incisive crosses, as the Indian midfield preferred to rotate from one side to the other.

The high point for India came in the 37^th minute when a string of passes found the tireless Germanpreet Singh in the clear but his prompt right-footer rebounded off the post for a corner.

The resultant corner, a long one from Anirudh Thapa was met by Nishu Kumar from the top of the box but it missed by a whisker as both teams headed to the interval locked goalless.

Changing over, striker Manvir Singh came close to scoring the opener but his header landed safely into the Syrian goalkeeper’s gloves.

As the game neared the hour-mark, Indians appeared to lose the plot a bit — skipper Lalruatthara and Nishu Kumar going into the referee’s book for challenges.

Syria went ahead in the 64^th minute — striker Rabie Srour lobbing it over Goalkeeper Vishal Kaith who was caught out of position – central defender Salam Ranjan Singh’s valiant attempt to keep off the lob not being successful.

India’s first substitution came in the 72^nd minute – Hitesh Sharma coming in for Daniel. Head Coach Stephen Constantine followed it up with a double substitution in the 81^st minute – Sarthak Golui and Robinson Singh coming in for Lalruatthara and Anirudh Thapa respectively.

Three minutes later, Nikhil Poojary powered another cross from the right flank but it Hitesh mistimed his leap to find the elusive equaliser.

Syria sealed the fate of the match in the 88^th minute — Fares Arnaout doubling the score for them.

INDIA U-23: Vishal Kaith, Nishu Kumar, Jerry Lalrinzuala, Lalruatthara (C) (Sartha Golui 81′), Salam Ranjan Singh, Germanpreet Singh, Nikhil Poojary, Nandha Kumar, Anirudh Thapa (Robinson Singh 81′), Daniel Lalhlimpuia (Hitesh Sharma 72′), Manvir Singh.

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“I’ve been a person who has always preferred to build a ‘team for the future.’ I’m working with this bunch of guys so that a few may come up the ranks and land up with the senior National Team in the coming days,” Stephen stated in the pre-tournament press conference on Tuesday afternoon.

India U-23 headed into the Championship on the back of a two-week long Camp in New Delhi followed by two back-to-back International Friendlies against Singapore in Singapore.

A year back, Syria who had made it to the finals of the last edition of the AFC U-23 AFC Championship Qatar 2016. But while their campaign didn’t go turn out to be as planned, they look forward to bettering their record at the same venue.

“This tournament is of immense importance for us and I believe, as it is for every team here. We’ll give our best to qualify from this group,” Syrian coach Hussein Afash mentioned.

While Hussain Afash was asked whether the football acumen of Stephen Constantine who has been the vital cog behind India’s recent meteoric rise would be a concern for him, the Syrian coach expressed that ‘team for the future’ is the one to look out for.

“We’re all here for the same reason. We have to build the team for the future who’ll eventually feature in the senior team,” he opined.

Meanwhile, host Qatar starts the campaign as the favorites. Head Coach Felix Sanchez sounded pretty confident and focused.

“The boys have performed well last edition but this is a new tournament and we’ve to start from the scratch. It’s time for us to execute our plans on the pitch,” Sanchez stated.

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“Obviously our primary target is to qualify for the AFC U-23 Championship. There’s absolutely no second thought on that”, the Englishman sounded aptly focused while www.the-aiff.com caught up with him at the Ambedkar Stadium during the practice session of the U-22 National Team.

“I have always believed in building a ‘team for the future’. Eventually, in a few years, these guys will represent India National Team. My eventual goal is to unearth some talents who’ll be ready for the Senior National Team”, he rattled at one go.

Referring to the forthcoming exposure trip to California, Stephen exuded, Our aim is to get accustomed to the conditions of Qatar as much as possible. New Delhi is hot, California will be hot too which will be helpful for the boys during the Qualifiers. Playing against those sides will get us closer to our target.”

He added more, “We’ll play three or four matches against some quality club team, even a few senior teams. Who knows, they might pick someone (referring to the current U-22 boys who are in the camp now) and we might end up with the first Indian player to play in the USA.”

The man, who turned everything into gold whatever he touched in the last year, always gives due respect to his opponents and it’s no exception this time too.

“We’re clubbed with very strong teams in the Qualifier and every match will be tough. Qatar will be the team to beat in their backyard. Syria and Turkmenistan will be testing us too.”

He reiterated that ‘intensity of the National Team is pretty high and it’s the demand at the International stage.’

“They are facing it the first time and believe me, it’s not easy to get accustomed to the setup on and off the field. They’ve got two options left with them, either get used to it or to let it go.”

Stephen is on the cusp of rewriting the Indian Football history of winning maximum International matches on a trot with the Senior National Team.

Referring to the abrupt switching to the U-22 setup within a few days of winning the gigantic clash against the Kyrgyz Republic he stated, “It’s pretty same actually. The philosophy is same, the drills, system, the ultimate lookout-everything is same. For me, there’s absolutely no difference between the Senior National Team and these bunch of youngsters.”

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