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The Indian national U-17 men's team succumbed to a 4-0 loss against Atletico de Madrid U-18 in their final training match of the exposure trip to Spain on Friday, May 12.
The Spanish club secured a comfortable victory with two goals in the first half, scored by Omar Janneh in the 37th minute and Alex Ramirez in the 45th minute. After the break, Emilio added two more goals in quick succession, securing a decisive win for Atleti.
The opening exchanges was relatively even, with both teams jockeying for midfield superiority. The Indian defense remained on guard and successfully prevented the Los Rojiblancos from opening the scoring, despite the home team earning a couple of corners.
In the 35th minute, the Blue Colts had their first chance to score when Korou's header was collected easily by the Atletico goalkeeper Luismi Morales.
However, the situation changed quickly as Atletico gained momentum. Omar scored the first goal in the 37th minute, followed by Alex Ramirez's goal just before the half-time whistle.
In the second half, the Spanish giants maintained their dominance as Emilio scored twice in the 54th and 57th minutes, extending their lead.
Although India attempted to make a comeback, Vanlalpeka Guite's powerful shot hit the crossbar in the 60th minute. The Indian coach, Bibiano Fernandes, opted to make several changes in the second half, but the team missed some gilt-edge opportunities opportunities and had to come away with a 4-0 drubbing.
Spanish tour highlights the potency of Bibiano Fernandes' India U-17 boys
The loss brings to a conclusion India U-17's preperatory games in the Iberian Peninsula. The Blue Colts played six matches in total, winning two, lossing three, and drawing just one.
Bibiano Fernandes' team defeated Atletico de Madrid U-17s 4-1 and Atletico de Madrid U-16s 2-1. They drew with Real Madrid U-17s 3-3 but lost to CD Leganes U-18s 0-2, Getafe U-18 1-3 and finally to Atletico de Madrid U-18 4-0.
The Blue Colts will travel next to Germany on May 16 to have their next preparatory camp for the upcoming AFC U-17 Asian Cup in Thailand, to be held in June 2023. India have been clubbed alongside Vietnam, Uzbekistan and Japan in the tournament.
