NEW DELHI: India U-16 team held hosts Uzbekistan 1-1 on Sunday to top Group B and qualifed for the AFC U-16 Championship Bahrain 2020.
The Indians, coached by Bibiano Fernandes, finished with seven points from three matches which is same as Uzbekistan but qualified as group winners by virtue of a better goal difference (+10) against Uzbekistan’s +3.
India had earlier beaten Turkmenistan and Bahrain by identical 5-0 margins.
India had gained the lead in the 68th minute when Sridarth tapped the ball home off a rebound, but the hosts equalised in the 81st minute.
This is India’s third consecutive entry to the AFC U-16 Championships, and ninth overall. Since 2011, this is India’s fourth entry at the competition, the previous ones being were in 2011, 2015, and 2017.
“I am extremely proud of my boys,” said Fernandes. “There has been a lot of hard work put in, and every support staff, and player deserves equal credit.”
The efforts put in by AIFF at the youth level by providing us continuous exposure tours with help from SAI has helped the boys mature.”
Bibiano Fernandes
Only last year, the India U-16 boys suffered a heart-breaking loss to Korea Republic in the quarterfinals of the AFC U-16 Championships, where they were a match away from a direct qualification to the next FIFA U-17 World Cup.
