India Loses to South Korea by 0-1 Despite Solid Defense

India faced South Korea in the quarterfinals of the AFC U-16 Championship in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia on 1^st October, 2018. South Korea defeated India by 1-0. The Indian U-16 team, had advanced to the quarterfinals after quiet a long interval of 16 years, but were unable to make it further as Jeong Sang-Bin scored the winning goal for South Korea in the 68th minute of the match which passed the Indian goalkeeper Niraj Kumar, who was exceptional in the goalpost as he made a number of salvages.

As a result, India failed to qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2019 and South Korea will now take on Indonesia in the semi-final stage of the tournament. Sixteen years ago, Indian U-16 team lost to South Korea in 2002 by 1-3. The Blue Colts, coached by Bibiano Fernandes, had extremely worked hard to qualify for the quarter finals of the AFC U16 Championship 2018. The All India Football Federation and Sports Authority of India have left no stone unturned to provide the best preparation possible to the Indian U16 football team by organizing multiple exposure tours for them wherein they played some good opponents. The March started from playing the Jockey Cup to the Sport Chain Cup to the tours in Serbia, China, Thailand, and Malaysia; the Indian team U16 has always been on the regular move and hard practice in the past 6 months. Bibiano Fernandes' boys have showed signs of improvement with each passing tournament and have trained really hard. They play as a unit and Captain Vikram Kumar has led them from the very front, being the top goal scorer in the recent past and the most valuable player in many of the exposure tours. India's previous best-ever finish at the Championship was a quarter-final finish in the 2002 edition but hopes are high this time as there is an extremely strong unit being sent to Malaysia. This time too Indians Blue Colts found it hard to make it to semifinals. But with the courageous performance the men in blue “Indian Colts” won the hearts of not only their supporters but were acknowledged by the world at large. It was a great performance and the best in the history of U-16 Indian Football team. It created a ray of hope for ingenious future as the young guns not only had the zeal but they displayed great potential and the future of Indian football is in bright hands.

By: Anuja Arora

Content: https://sports.ndtv.com/football/fans-applaud-team-india-after-courageous-display-in-afc-u-16-tournament-vs-south-korea-watch-1925370