India Under-16 football team showed a lot of mettle: Fernandes

Bengaluru, September 25: India Under-16 head coach Bibiano Fernandes said holding defending champion Iraq to a draw proved the skill and mettle of the squad.

"It was a great result and tournament. The match showcased the talent and mettle and big match temperament of our boys," Fernandes said from Kathmandu.

The Indian Under-16 team held Iraq to a goalless draw on Sunday (September 24) to finish the AFC U-16 Championship qualifiers with five points from three matches.

Earlier, India were held by Nepal and the colts beat Palestine 3-0.

The U-16 team are now unbeaten in 12 matches and favoured to qualify for the AFC U-16 Championship 2018 by virtue of finishing one of the five best second-placed teams across the continent.

However, a real picture will emerge only on September 29 when other U-16 Qualifiers across other venues in Asia finish.

Fernandes said the boys have a bright future ahead and attributed the success to the All India Football Federation's youth development programme.

"It is a superb initiative that offers a lot of benefits to the young footballers. Now, we are reaping benefits of the programme. Some of these players I am sure that will play for India very soon. But we have a long way to go but we have made a beginning," he said.

Fernandes also said the exposure trips to Egypt and Qatar, organised by the AIFF, helped the team immensely.

"Those trips helped us to gain confidence ahead of the AFC qualifiers. Hopefully, the team will go from strength to strength from this point," said Fernandes.