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The Indian U16 national football team who just finished participating in the Asian Football Confederation U16 qualifiers started their Spanish tour on a good note after beating Elche CP U16 2-0. The team will be the ones who will represent the India in the U17 World Cup that will be hosted by India in 2017.
The team have continued their streak of good performances after a successful tour of Germany. In the AFC U16 Championship qualifiers, they managed to finish second in their group right behind Iran, scoring 11 goals their remaining two matches.
The match against Elche was their first in the series of tour matches to be played in Spain. Elche U16 play in the Spanish Segunda division will be disappointed with their loss, but the young Indians will be pleased with their results at the Torrevieja Stadium
India begin the match on a high note
It didn’t take long for the Young Tigers to get one past the Elche goalkeeper. In the 11th minute, Ninthoi put the Indian team ahead, after noticing the opposition goalkeeper’s distance from his goal. He took an audacious shot from 35-yards out and chipped the ball over the Elche goalkeeper. The goalkeeper realized his fatal error but was unable to get back in time and saw the ball go past his outstretched arms.
The Indian bench who could not believe what they had just seen and were delirious after seeing the shot. Aman had a great opportunity to double their lead before half-time, but the youngster was unable to keep his calm at the crucial moment.
Boris Thangjam rushed out of the pitch
The Indian team didn’t take their gas off the pedal. Ninthoi turned creator in the second half as he played Aman through on goal. Aman, who missed a wonderful opportunity in the first half was in no mood to pass up a second chance as he made sure that the ball ended at the back of the net.
Elche seemed frustrated with their position were fortunate not to concede another goal before the final whistle. While the Indian team managed to keep their clean sheet, youngster Boris Thangjam had to be rushed to the hospital after a crunching collision with his marker. While it is not known how serious the injury is, the player might be rested for the next fixture.
While the team can celebrate their first victory, they will have to focus on improving before the 2017 U-17 World Cup.
