SAFF U-20 Championship 2024: India eyes semifinal spot against Maldives in final group stage match

India leads Group B after winning its only game, the opener, and will need to avoid a defeat to qualify for the semifinals, where it will play Nepal on August 26.

The Blue Colts, who entered the tournament as the SAFF U-19 Championship, won their opening fixture 1-0 against Bhutan. | Photo Credit: AIFF Media

India will look to ride on its winning momentum when it takes on Maldives in the SAFF U20 Championship, at the ANFA Sports Complex, in Nepal, on Friday.

The Blue Colts, who entered the tournament as the SAFF U-19 Championships, won their opening fixture 1-0 against Bhutan, with Monirul Molla scoring the winner off a Kelvin Singh Taorem corner.

But head coach Ranjan Chaudhuri will have to dig into the squad’s depth to find replacements for Vanlalpeka Guite and Pramveer, both of whom will be suspended after a red card in their opening game.

Monirul Molla's lone strike helps India U20 see off Bhutan Challenge!

Read match report here 👉🏻 https://t.co/2SH7hMic4x#SAFFU20Championship2024#BHUIND#IndianFootball ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/Jz5kmwSTbW

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) August 19, 2024

“The way our boys fought after the two red cards is indeed commendable. It’s not easy to set a stable formation with nine players, but they managed to hold fort. It speaks a great deal about their character,” Chaudhuri as quoted telling the AIFF website.

India leads Group B after winning its only game, the opener, and will need to avoid a defeat to qualify for the semifinals, where it will play Nepal on August 26, with the host beating Bangladesh 2-1 in its final group stage today.

“Of course, we are here to be champions of SAFF. This is the first time I’m playing at the U20 level, so things are a little different. Every country is improving bit-by-bit, but we are a strong side as well,” India’s captain Ricky Meitei told the AIFF website.

“But we have also improved so much since last year. Every player here is playing at some club with senior players in domestic football, which means everyone here comes with a certain level of experience.”

India captain Ricky Meitei in action at the SAFF U-20 Championship 2024 in Nepal. | Photo Credit: AIFF Media

Maldives, on the other hand, has yet to earn a point, losing its only game 1-2 to Bhutan on August 21.

Ahmed Shakir’s boys, who had equalised through Ish Aafu Mohamed Firaq’s strike in the second half, failed to maintain composure late in the game, conceding the winner in the 90th minute – something they will look to rectify this time around, against India.

The match is scheduled for a 3:00 pm kick-off IST.