AFC Under-19 Championship qualifiers: India face Turkmenistan in last encounter

The India Under-19 boys face Turkmenistan in their fourth and final Group A encounter of the AFC Under-19 Championship qualifiers here at the Al Arabi Stadium in Doha, Qatar later today. After elimination in their last match against Uzbekistan it is now about the final group standings and honour as India want to finish on a high with a win.

While India are on third position in the points table with three points from that many matches, Turkmenistan are just behind them in fourth place owing to inferior goal difference, having the same number of points from three outings.

But India Head Coach Colm Joseph Toal is taking this game as another very important international match for the boys.

“Tomorrow is another International Match for us. Any International Match is important for the boys as they learn great deal from them,” Toal told AIFF Media. “We would do our best to get a good result and end on a good note. We have performed reasonably well in this Tournament but don’t have the results to compliment it.”

India lost to Qatar after a spirited first-half display by two goals in their opening game only to bounce back against Nepal to script a deserving 1-0 victory. The Blue shirts then went down fighting against highest ranked in the group Uzbekistan by three goals on Thursday.

“They are a really good team with good shape. They kept us going till the last whistle and were competitive. The spirits of these lads are worth appreciating,” Uzbekistan Coach Aleksey Evstafeev said after the match.

“They have got some very good Players. They will also look to get back to winning ways after their disappointing result against Qatar in the last game,” Toal said about India’s opponents.

India are expected to shuffle the first XI that went unchanged in all the three matches so far. “We will try and put out the most competitive Team possible on Sunday. We have to keep in mind that the starting XI played three matches in six days and their body needs rest.”

“We have Players on the bench who will cherish the International Exposure in the last match and it will be vital to their development as well. Let’s see,” Toal himself speculated.

The match at the Al Arabi stadium kicks-off at 4.30pm local Qatari time (7pm IST) on Saturday, October 12.

(Report & Photo courtesy AIFF Media)