India’ U-17 side came up short in the third game of the 2016 BRICS U-17 Football Cup, losing 1-0 to China. The hosts dominated much of the match, with Komal Thatal, Amarjit Singh, Shubham Sarangi and Sanjeev Stalin all narrowly missing out on scoring for India, before Huang Cong struck in the sixth minute of injury time to hand China an undeserved three points.
The result leaves India rooted to the bottom of the table, while China are in 4th place with 4 points, level with 3rd placed South Africa.
Here are 5 talking points from the game:
#1 India’s frustrations continue
Another game, another familiar story. It’s becoming rather eerie just how set in their patterns this Indian side is – dominate the game for 90 minutes and then walk away with a 1-0 loss, thanks to a rare defensive error. This result, though, was particularly harsh, as China offered little going forward and perhaps did not even deserve a point from the game.
India displayed naivete in pushing 10 men forward right at the end, with Huang Cong capitalising on a tired touch to steal the win. I would not envy Nicolai Adam’s task in trying to lift the spirits of these tender 15/16-year-old boys who have fought so bravely for little reward.
India created a whole host of chances in this game and poor finishing in the final third allowed China to walk away with the win. While Aman Chetri, Komal Thatal and Aniket Anil Jadhav have won plenty of hearts with their bright attacking exchanges, they will have to learn to be lethal sooner rather than later, or Adam will be forced to make changes.
#2 China were incredibly lucky
The BRICS Cup was a unique opportunity for FIFA to look at the two ‘sleeping giants’ of world football in India and China. The Chinese Super League has poured in millions in trying to attract superstars, with the Federation also ramping up grassroots development, with some big spending projects.
This Chinese U-17 side are the first fruits of those development goals, and they haven’t looked like a great return on investment so far. While China did walk away with the win, all they had going for them against India was their superior physical stature, and that did not even deter the Indian Colts.
Still, it’s a credit to China that they walked away with 4 points despite looking like the worst team at the BRICS Cup. They barely managed an attack throughout the entire 90 minutes against India, a repeat of their dour style of play against Russia, South Africa and Brazil earlier. There are a couple of talents in Tao Qianlong and Huang Cong, but their performances were not very encouraging.
#3 Fans would do well to heed Bhaichung Bhutia’s words
There was a hugely encouraging presence in the stands for the Indian Colts as Bhaichung Bhutia, one of the India’s greatest ever footballers, was cheering them on against China. At half-time, Bhutia made his way down for an interview on television, and made quite a few interesting statements.
There are plenty of Indian football fans who did not see this game and voiced their disappointment with the result. However, Bhutia called this team one of the best he’d ever seen, noting that for the first time, an Indian side did not just lump the ball forward to their talismanic striker, like the teams Bhaichung Bhutia played in himself.
The Indian legend was particularly impressed with the U-17 side’s ball-possession and lauded the AIFF for the step up in grassroots development. This is a man who has witnessed Indian football first-hand for the last two decades – if he says this team is hugely impressive, a trio of 1-0 losses should not dampen the excitement for a promising side.
#4 Suresh and Amarjit had their best game in midfield
Ordinarily, one would expect that the captain of such an extremely talented side would feature more often in these talking points, given how much I've gushed over many of his teammates. The truth is that Suresh Singh has failed to truly impress, looking about 80% of the player in the AIFF Youth Cup.
However, against China, Suresh Singh and his partner-in-crime, Amarjit Singh absolutely dominated the centre of the park. The duo were absolutely everywhere, getting stuck in against their much more stronger opponents, kept possession even under pressure with some quick feet and linking well between defence and attack.
It wasn't all positive though, both were guilty of overdoing it with ambitious passes, often gifting the ball back to China after doing well to win the ball in the first place. However, Suresh Singh, especially looks on an upward curve recently and it'll be interesting to see how he manages to deal with Brazil's talented youngsters in the next game.
#5 Brazil will defeat India, but by how much?
When the fixtures were announced, this was the game that immediately leapt off the page. India take on Brazil in their final game and it promises to be a litmus test for the Indian Colts, given that Brazil have hammered China, South Africa and Russia, scoring 7 goals and conceding none.
What’s even more surprising is that Brazil haven’t sent their best U-17 players, but look absolutely a class above every other side on display. Clearly, despite whatever tactics Nicolai Adam uses, what he’s staring at is a loss – the question is will it be a heavy, morale-sapping defeat, or a creditable loss?
The German coach has made India far more compact compared to the U-16 AFC Championship in the previous month, a point also noted by Bhaichung Bhutia. With a greater defensive understanding throughout the side, can they pull off the impossible and limit Brazil to a draw? After three undeserved 1-0 losses, a draw would be very much a victory.
