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After disappointment in the opening game, India roared back with a 4-0 victory against Sri Lanka in the SAFF U-20 Championship on Friday (July 29). In the match, which unfolded at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Parthib Sundar Gogoi, 19, scored a brace to power the host nation to a statement victory.
The Young Tigers came into the match after suffering a 1-2 defeat at the hands of Bangladesh on July 27. A lone goal from Gurkirat Singh wasn't enough to save the hosts' blushes. Coming into the clash against Sri Lanka, head coach Shanmugam Venkatesh's boys were hoping to return to winning ways.
India dominated the proceedings and the possession from the get-go but lacked a killer blow on multiple occasions. Gogoi was thrown into the attacking mix right from the start as he tested the Sri Lankan custodian regularly.
Meanwhile, the visitors made a rare attempt at goal in the 27th minute when Muhammedhu Munsif pulled the trigger from long range. However, his effort was palmed away by Som Kumar. For India, Tankadhar Bag, Himanshu Jangra, and Parthib Gogoi looked the liveliest attacking outlets although the side failed to take their chances in the first half.
The Blue Tigers find their shooting boots in the second half
The Blue Tigers came out hungry to break the deadlock after the half-time break. In the 50th minute, Parthib Gogoi wriggled past his marker on the right flank and drilled in a juicy cross into the opposition box. Himanshu Jangra sneaked in unmarked at the far post and nodded home the opener. The Boys in Blue were ahead for the first time in the tournament.
With the lead in the bag, India started to become more adventurous with every passing second. A few minutes later, Gurkirat Singh cut in from the right and created a neat angle to shoot before his effort was blocked.
In the 67th minute, India had another gilt-edged opportunity to double their lead through Gurkirat. However, the Mumbai City FC youngster failed to direct his header towards the open net and the ball kissed the woodwork before going out of bounds.
Parthib Gogoi, though, didn't miss two minutes later. After being set through by Himanshu with an outside of the boot pass, the Indian Arrows product cut in from the left and slapped the ball into the far post.
With a two-goal advantage, India were cruising through the game and looked like a changed side in the second half. The Blue Tigers were awarded a penalty seven minutes later when a Sri Lankan defender blocked Himanshu Jangra's shot with his hand. Gurkirat stepped up to take the spot kick and buried it home with ease.
In the third minute of injury time, India added a fourth goal through Gogoi, who stabbed the ball into an open net after a darting run from Gurkirat. As the referee blew the final whistle, India bagged the three points. They will next face Nepal on July 31.
