India U16 finishes off WAFF Championship with a 3-0 victory over Yemen

The Blue Colts are getting better with every game and it can be witnessed in their last clash in the 2018 U16 WAFF Championship against Yemen. Previously they have handed defeat to the Asian champions Iraq by a last minute goal and before that, in the opener they sent Jordan back with a thrashing of 4-0. The only game they have lost was against Asian powerhouse Japan to a very close match by 2-1. Now in their final clash they locked horns with Yemen to humble them by a score of 3-0.

The 2018 U16 WAFF Championship would be a memorable campaign for everyone since for the first time India beats Iraq in all age group matches and then went on beating weak but with a big margin. This is all the confidence they needed as they now tie their laces up for the upcoming AFC U16 Championship in Malaysia where they will kick off the crucial campaign against Vietnam on 21^st September, 2018.

It has all been staging up for this as in this tournament 16 of Asia’s best will compete with each other to end up in the top four positions as the tournament comes to a close so as to win a ticket to the FIFA U19 World Cup in 2019 in Poland. All semi finalists of the 2018 AFC U19 championship from Asia will qualify to play the world cup so by all means this is a very big opportunity for the Blue Tigers.

The coach of the U16 team, Bibiano Fernandes said to the press, “The display of football has been fantastic from these young lads. We are very proud of them. They presented a spectacular display on the ground today and executed their shots brilliantly. This tournament gave a glimpse of the potential we have, the strength and a few places where we need to put in more work. It helped us gauge where we stand at the moment and how far can we go.”

India vs Yemen brief match report

For their final clash in the 2018 U16 WAFF Championship, India met Yemen in the Amman International Stadium, Jordan. The game started with both the teams looking for their set pieces and one touch passes but India got on the driving seat in the 37^th minute from a header from the central defender Harpreet Singh through a corner.  In the half time the score was India 1-0 Yemen.

The second half began with the Blue Colts looking completely different and the second goal of the came in the 47^th minute from another header but this time by Ridge Demello helping India to reach the score of 2-0. Yemen had lost all control of the game and then just one minute later, a beautiful lobbed shot over the goal keeper’s head in the 48^th minute sealed the game for the men in blue. India ended the five nation U16 WAFF Championship in style.