India U-16 defeats Yemen 3-0 in WAFF Championship

The India U-16 team finished its tournament with three wins and a defeat, after its 3-0 victory over Yemen in Amman, Jordan.

India U-16 starting line-up against Yemen in the WAFF U-16 Championship in Amman, Jordan,

The India U-16 national team maintained its winning streak, defeating a strong Yemen 3-0 in the five-nation WAFF U-16 Championship in Amman, Jordan.

After central defender Harpreet Singh's goal from a header in the 37 minute, two goals in two minutes immediately after half-time took the match beyond Yemen’s reach.

Ridge Demello headed in the second goal in the 47 minute. Rohit Danu lobbed it over the rival goalkeeper a minute later, providing the perfect finish to a promising build-up.

Head Coach Bibiano Fernandes lauded the boys for their “fantastic display.”

“We are extremely proud of them. They came up with a superlative performance today and executed it to perfection. The tournament has helped us gauge where we stand and we go back much richer in experience,” he stated post-match.

The U-16 team ended its tournament winning three matches and losing a close one to Japan. The Indian colts had made short work of Jordan 4-0 in their opening encounter and won 1-0 against current U-16 Asian Champions Iraq in the previous match. They lost the lead and match to Asian powerhouses Japan 1-2 in the other match.

The tournament was part of the team's exposure tour organised by AIFF in conjunction with SAI as preparation for the forthcoming AFC U-16 Championships in Malaysia, where 16 top teams in Asia will compete against each other.

The teams qualified for the AFC U-16 Championships have been divided into four groups of four teams each, with the top two from each group advancing to the quarterfinals. India has been clubbed with Iran, Vietnam and Indonesia in Group C. The four semi-finalists get a direct ticket to the next edition of the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2019.