The India U-16 national team faced the U-16 team of German Bundesliga outfit FC Schalke 04 in a friendly match at the Sportplatz Baulandstraße in Gelsenkirchen on Wednesday.
The Indian team, currently on a exposure tour in the neighbouring Netherlands, travelled to Germany in the afternoon and they received a warm welcome by the Schalke officials and fans ahead of the match.
The FC Schalke 04 U-16 boys were caught surprised by the quality of Goutam Ghosh’s team and the it took a few moments for the Germans to settle to the game.
India put early pressure on Schalke and looked like the better side in the first half. But the tired Indian team lacked the final pass and a better finishing.
Felix Rudolf scored the lone goal of the match after a corner kick in th 37th minute, when Alem Koljic delivered a cross to the box and Rudolf slotted home past India keeper Dheeraj Moirangthem Singh.
Nijwm Muchahary, Prosenjit Chakroborty and Nuruddin had India’s best chanced in the game, but they were denied by the FC Schalke 04 goalkeeper.
The second half was an evenly-balanced affair, but the brave Indian team could have won the match after an impressive performance against a strong opponent.
Schalke’s U-16 coach Eren Yilmaz applauded the Indian team for their impressive performance after the match and he was happy that his team had the chance to rub the shoulders against such a strong opponent.
Exclusive pictures from the match are avaible at
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Video footage of the FC Schalke 04 U-16 v India U-16: