COTIF Cup 2018: India U20 vs Venezuela U20, Live Score, Commentary & Updates

India U20 0-0 Venezuela U20; Full Time

Updated: 04 August 2018 02:57 IST - Published: 03 August 2018 21:41 IST

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FT: It has been a story of missed chances. India started out strong and even came close to scoring in the first half. However, the second half witnessed much of the possession being dominated in the midfield with both teams lacking precision in the final third as the match ended in a stalemate.

80' It's all over here as the teams fail to find the back of the net.
Final score: 0-0

75' Rahim Ali with a strong clearance to deny any late upsets.

70' Last 10 minutes await us, probably the most crucial 10 minutes of the game.

64' India pressing hard but the Venezuela defence is looking very compact at the moment.

60' The battle has mostly been concentrated to the midfield as we enter the final quarter of the game.

57' Substitution
India with their first change in the game as Rahil Ali comes in for Ninthoi

51' A dangerous looking attack from India but the Venezuelan defenders do well to avert the peril.

47' Venezuela wins a corner but the Indian defenders deal with it neatly.

42' Ninthoi with an early surge but his cross fails to find anyone inside the box as another chance goes begging.

41' And the second half resumes!

HT: It has been an exciting first half with both teams coming up with sporadic chances. The Indian colts have looked defensively very strong and will need to convert the attack in the final third. Another promising 45 minutes in the offing.

Stay tuned as we will shortly be back from the break!

40' The referee blows the whistle for half time as the players proceed towards the dressing rooms.

39' Both teams looking careful not to concede as we approach half time.

38' Venezuela get a corner but Sahil clears it with utmost precision.

36' India wins a free kick as Asish Rai lines up behind the ball but nothing really comes out of it.

34' A positive game so far for India. They have looked threatening on a couple of occasions with the ball and have maintained a robust defence to deny the opponents any lead.

33' A lot of exchange in possession in the middle as the teams look keen to secure the decisive first goal.

31' Freekick (India) in their own half

26' Indian colts with a promising chance but needs to find precision in the final third to break the deadlock.

23' India are holding their half with some resolute defending

20' Freekick (Venezuela). No real threat from the set piece as the scoreline remains same.

17' Chance!!
Venezuela with an opportunity to get in front as they build pressure from the right but the final attempt goes wide. Danger averted!

11' Indian colts are making it difficult for the South Americans to make anything significant.

8' A promising looking attack from Venezuela but India is maintaining a good shape in the defence.

5' Both teams looking eager to get an early goal.

3' An early surge by the Blue colts but no end result.

1' And we kickoff from the middle as India look eager to register their first win in the tournament.

Here's the starting lineup for today's match

This is how we start tonight against @FVF_Oficial

VEN 0-0 IND#BackTheBlue #WeAreIndia pic.twitter.com/nwFs1xDaRW
— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) August 3, 2018

Stay tuned as we will shortly be underway.

After a 0-2 loss to Murcia U-20s in the first match and a 0-3 thumping by Mauritania U20s in the second, the young colts of India will be looking to bounce back with a win at the COTIF Cup, as they go up against Venezuela U20s in their 3rd match.

Currently, the Indian team is participating in the Cotif Cup in Spain, playing matches against renowned football powerhouses that will help them prepare for the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2019 qualifiers.

The Indian team comprises of a mixture of boys from the team that played the FIFA U-17 World Cup and those who represented India in the AFC U-19 Qualifiers in 2017.

The young colts are in for an extremely difficult challenge in their next match when they play Argentina U-20s on August 5. A win there is unlikely, even a draw would be commendable, hence their only realistic shot at winning lies in the upcoming match against Venezuela.

In their loss against Mauritania, Indians were playing without Rahul KP, Sanjeev Stalin, and Rahim Ali -- who were out because of injuries. Suspensions were also suffered by two of their main central defenders -- Anwar Ali and Jitendra Singh. Hence, in all, the young boys in Blue were without five of their major players and suffered a heavy loss.