The India U-19 national team has kicked-off its AFC U-19 Championship qualifying campaign with a 0-2 loss against Qatar.

Both team were on-par throughout the first half, which didn’t produce too many goalmouth action. India’s Kumam Udanta Singh had one of the rare chances in the first 45 minutes at the Al Arabi Stadium in Doha. But Udanta put his shot wide.

Colm Toal’s team looked quite impressive against the hosts and one had the feeling these boys could tackle Qatar to hand them an unexpected start into the Qualifying Group A. India played a tactically clever game in front of many Indian expats supporting the boys from the stands.

Qatar almost took advantage of a goalkeeping blunder by Vishal Kaith moments before the half-time whistle, but the young keeper managed to correct his mistake when he denied the Qatari attacker a shot on target.

The Arab side came back from the lemon-break with a different attitude to produce two attempts on Vishal Kaith’s goal within the first 60 seconds of the second half.

India were forced to keep stay back in the own half as Qatar increased the pressure on the Indian colts. It was just a matter of time which would see India concede a goal.

India keeper Vishal Kaith gave away a avoidable penalty to the Qataris in the 60th minute. Akram Hassan A. Y. Afif made no mistake from the spot to give coach Felix Sanchez Bas’ team a 1-0 lead.

Qatar slowed down the game after the goal and they cleverly dominated the proceedings in the second half. India had no answer to the Qatari domiance and they had to even concede another goal in the final moments of the game as Husam Kamal Hassan Hassanin found the back of the net.

Colm Toal’s team had to settle for a 0-2 defeat. India will face Nepal in their next match on Sunday.

AFC U-19 Championship 2014 – Qualifier | Group A | Al Arabi Stadium, Doha (Qatar)
INDIA U-19 0-2 QATAR U-19

GOALS
0-1 Akram Hassan A. Y. Afif (60′, pen)
0-2 Husam Kamal Hassan Hassanin (89′)

LINE-UPS

India U-19
47 Vishal Kaith – 2 Gurba Gagrai, 4 Pawan Kumar, 6 Sajid Mohammed Dhot, 23 Soraisam Pritam Kumar Singh – 14 Souvik Das [C], 17 Germanpreet Singh (83′ 9 Uttam Rai), 45 Lalrempuia Fanai – 10 Kumam Udanta Singh, 11 Daniel Lalhlimpuia (59′ 34 S.K. Faiaz), 32 Shaiborlang Kharpan (65′ 18 Alen Deory)

Unused Subs
3 Nim Dorjee Tamang, 5 Sarthak Golui, 7 Lalramzauva Khiangte, 12 Chinmaya Shekhar Behera, 16 Joseph Lalfakzuala, 19 Isaac Vanmalsawma Chhakchhuak, 36 Naro Hari Shreshtha, 44 Rupert Lamlang Nongrum, 48 Supratim Bhattacharjee

Qatar U-19
1 Yousof Hassan Mohamed Ali – 3 Salah Al Yahri, 5 Serigne Abdou K. Thiam, 6 Abdulaziz Mahmoud, 12Jasem Mohamed – 8 Ahmad Moein Doozandeh [C] (63′ 4 Abdullah Abdulsalam A. Alahrak), 18 Assim Omer A. Madibo, 21 Nasser Ibrahim S. W. Al-Nasr – 10 Akram Hassan A. Y. Afif (71′ 17 Jassim Ali S. A. Alshammari), 11 Jassim Ahmad A. G. Al-Jalabi (84′ 7 Husam Kamal Hassan Hassanin), 25 Ahmed Alsadi

Unused Subs
2 Adel Alwai, 9 Sultan Bakhit M. B. Alkuwari, 15 Jassim Abdulrahman A. H. Al-Mulla, 16 Tameem Mohammed E. S. Almuhaza, 19 Saltan Hussain M. H. Al-Brake, 20 Muath Yahya N. A. Alsalemi, 27 Hatim Kamal H. Hassanin, 30 Yazan Naim J. A. Hussein, 33 Mohammed Ahmed M. Al

BOOKINGS

Yellow Cards
60′ Vishal Kaith (India)
64′ Abdulaziz Mahmoud (Qatar)
85′ S.K. Faiaz (India)

Yellow-Red Cards
none

Red Cards
none

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee
Ali M. H. M. T. Shaban (Kuwait)

Assistant Referees
Mohamed Jaafar Mohamed Salman (Bahrain), Mohammad Reza Mansouri (Iran)

Fourth Official
Dimitrii Mashentsev (Kyrgyzstan)

Match Commissioner
Manirul Islam (Bangladesh)

AIFF Match Report

An impressive second-half display helped Qatar script a 2-0 win over India in their Group A encounter of the AFC U-19 Championship here at the Al Arabi Stadium in Doha on Friday. 

Akram Hassan scored from the spot in the 60th minute after the hosts enjoyed a good spell of fifteen minutes at the beginning of the second spell where they won four corners in quick succession. Substitute Abdullah doubled the lead in the 89thminute.

“I am disappointed with the result but not the performance,” Head Coach Colm Toal told reporters at the Post match Press Conference.“

The first fifteen minutes in the second half turned the game on its head. I should congratulate the Qatari Coach for changing tactics at the right time and playing more direct. That worked for them,” he added.

Qatar played direct football post the breather sending the ball cross-field at every opportunity. One such occasion saw Akram being tripped by Vishal Kaith inside the area after the former tried to round the India goalkeeper at the hour mark.

Later, Akram rattled the crosspiece with a long-ranger.

If the second half belonged to Qatar, the first half was India’s. 

The hosts enjoyed possession in the opening exchanges but failed to make early inroads as the blue shirts closed them down diligently.

India slowly picked up pace winning three corners in the space of that many minutes. Germanpreet Singh impressed on both the flanks teeing up Kumam Udanta Singh on the right in the 23rd minute before switching flanks to send a teasing cross for Daniel Lalhlimpuia to skew wide.Further up, Udanta Singh’s cutback-effort from the right in the 27th minute was somehow tipped over by goalkeeper Yousuf Hassan Mohammed Ali.

India’s four flag kicks to Qatar’s none reflected their dominance in the first essay. Just at the stroke of halftime, Shaiborlang Kharpan shot inches wide.Qatar started the second half like the first. Midfielder Nasser Ibrahim side netted twice as the white shirts – most of whom can form the nucleas of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Squad in Qatar – equaled their counterparts on the number of corners won. The Indian backline to their credit stood firm.

But the hosts’ doggedness in the final third paid off in the 60th minute when Akram Hassan converted from the spot.

India reacted quickly trying to catch Qatar on the counter. Colm Toal ringed in the changes in search of an equaliser. SK Faiaz came in place of Kharpan and Alen Deory replaced Daniel in the 59th and 65th minute respectively.

Uttam Rai was introduced in the 83rd minute with Germanpreet making way for the striker.

But it was not India’s day as Abdullah doubled the lead at the death to take the game away.

India play Nepal next on Sunday.