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AFC U-16 Championship: Dark horse India look to upset all odds

AFC U-16 Championship: The Indian U-16 team have been drawn in Group C alongside powerhouses Iran, a strong Vietnam side and perhaps a stronger Indonesian outfit.

The Indian under-16 side go through the paces during a training session. Source: AIFF


New Delhi, September 18: When the Indian Under-16 national team defeated defending AFC U-16 Champions Iraq 1-0 in the WAFF Cup in early August, little did anyone believe that India was capable of upsetting one of the best youth teams in Asia. The AFC U-16 Championship, which is set to kick off on Thursday (September 20) reeks of a similar tale.

Indian colts ramp-up preparations for AFC U-16 Championship Finals </a>| <a class=Current crop of players are much better than what we used to be at their age: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu " title="Indian colts ramp-up preparations for AFC U-16 Championship Finals | Current crop of players are much better than what we used to be at their age: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu " />Indian colts ramp-up preparations for AFC U-16 Championship Finals | Current crop of players are much better than what we used to be at their age: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu

The Indian U-16 team have been drawn in Group C alongside powerhouses Iran, a strong Vietnam side and perhaps a stronger Indonesian outfit. A quarterfinal berth at the U-16 level has been quite improbable for India but if the colts enter last 8, a possibility to face either Korea Republic, Australia or Iraq in the quarter-final stages loom large.

The Indian team's preparations have been in full swing, with the boys reaching the host nation 12-days prior to the start of the tournament, to get used to the conditions. With two days left for the tournament to kick off, India coach Bibiano Fernandes said that the Indian team has been grouped with some of the best youth teams in Asia. "If you look at our draw in the group stage we have been pitted against some of the best upcoming youth teams Asia. Iran are phenomenal in the U-16 category and have time and again made it past the group stages while both Vietnam and Indonesia are upcoming youth teams with a lot of potential," Fernandes stated.

"We are the dark horses of this tournament and at the same time we possess the ability to upset some of the better youth teams as we have in the past."

India's aim will be to qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, a feat the country has never achieved before, barring the previous edition when Indian hosted the tournament. "First we have to qualify and progress from the group stages. That is our main aim. We will take one match at a time. It is too premature to think about the quarterfinals right now. We need to qualify for it," stated Bibiano.

Bibiano's wards reflect the coach's feelings agreeing that although the challenge will be massive, they have the ability to cause major upsets. "There are a lot of odds stacked against us. But odds have been stacked against us even in the past and we have overcome them through teamwork and unity and believing in ourselves," stated Ridge D'Mello.

"We might be the dark horses but on our day we can defeat any team in the region. We just have to turn up on the day that matters in our quest to create history," added a determined Bhuvnesh Shendre.

Source: AIFF Release

Story first published: Wednesday, September 19, 2018, 12:47 [IST]
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