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India U-23 handed a 0-5 defeat by UAE U-23

2014 Incheon Asian Games

The Indian U-23 Men’s national team started their 2014 Incheon Asian Games campaign with a 0-5 loss by the hands of the United Arab Emirates today.

Saeed Salem Saleh Alkatheeri was the Man of the Match with three goals to his name. Bandar Mohammed Saeed Al Ahbabi and an own goal by India defender Sandesh Jhingan handed the Arabs a comfortable win against the Indian team.

The India U-23 will face the Jordan U-23 in the second and final group stage match on Monday (September 22). India need to win the match to keep hopes alive to advance to the knock-out round.

Please scroll down for the AIFF Match Report.

2014 Incheon Asian Games | Men’s Football
at Hwaseong Sports Complex Main Stadium, Incheon, Korea Republic

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES U-23 5-0 INDIA U-23

GOALS
1-0 Saeed Salem Saleh Alkatheeri (13′)
2-0 Saeed Salem Saleh Alkatheeri (15′)
3-0 Bandar Mohammed Saeed Al Ahbabi (19′)
4-0 Saeed Salem Saleh Alkatheeri (64′)
5-0 Sandesh Jhingan (83′)

LINE-UPS

United Arab Emirates U-23
1 Ahmad Mohammad Shambih Albalooshi – 2 Khalifa Mubarak Ghanim Alhammadi, 3 Mohammad Darwish Juma Darwish, 6 Saif Khalfan Saeed Almeqbaali, 14 Obaid Sanad Rashid Salim Rashid – 5 Salim Ali Ibrahim Hassan Alhammadi (59′ 11 Hassan Abdulla Waled Husain), 7 Mohamed Surour Masoud Sur Alyassi, 13 Sultan Saleh Barghash Almenhali – 8 Waleed Ambar Esmaeel M Almazrouei (68′ 18 Suhail Salem Yeslam A. Almansoori)10 Saeed Salem Saleh Alkatheeri [C], 19 Bandar Mohammed Saeed Al Ahbabi

Unused Subs
17 Hassan Hamza Ali Hussain Almaazmi; 4 Salem Sultan Salem Saeed Alsharji, 12 Saeed Musabbeh Salem Sari Almenhali, 15 Abdalla Ali Hassan Mohamed Alnaqbi, 16 Rayan Yaslem Mohammed Abo Aljaberi, 21 Ali Yaqoub Ali Mohamed Al Ali

India U-23
1 Amrinder Singh – 2 Pritam Kotal, 3 Joyner Lourenco, 4 Sandesh Jhingan, 5 Narayan Das – 7 Pronoy Halder (11′ 20 Lalrindika Ralte), 8 Siam Hangal – 10 Francis Fernandes – 11 Sunil Chhetri [C], 15 Mandar Rao Desai (71′ 18 Seiminlen Doungel) – 9 Robin Singh

Unused Subs
16 Ravi Kumar, 19 Kamaljit Singh; 6 Milan Singh, 12 Haokip Thongkoshim, 13 Shankar Sampingiraj, 14 Clifton Dias, 17 Keenan Almeida

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee
Chaiya Mahapab (Thailand)

Assistant Referees
Thanom Borikut (Thailand), Sergei Grischenko (Kyrgyzstan)

Fourth Official
Timur Faizullin (Kyrgyzstan)

BOOKINGS

Yellow Cards
44′ Lalrindika Ralte (India)

Yellow-Red Cards
none

Red Cards
none

AIFF Match Report

An unimpressive display by India U-23 Men’s Football contingent saw them surrender without a fight to United Arab Emirates as they went down 0-5 in their opening Group G match of in the Asian Games in Incheon.

The winners, who scored the first three goals within 20 minutes, led 3-0 at the interval.

Rival skipper Saeed Alkatheeri notched up a hat-trick which included two Headers with the Indian defenders looking helplessly. Al Ahbabi scored a brace to complete the rout.

The Indian side lacked vision on the field. There wasn’t much understanding while defending; there wasn’t much understanding either while attacking. The series of mispasses, the ineffectiveness on the wings and the sluggish midfield losing almost every battle for the ball made matters tough as a ruthless UAE took control.

All the goals were conceded from counter attacks with the India back four of Pritam Kotal, Sandesh Jhinghan, Joyner Lourenco and Narayan Das lacking cohesion.

It all started in the 14th minute when Alkatheeri stooped low to his left and tucked in a cross from the right. Two minutes on, the Captain was at it again this time diving acrobatically to meet a cross from the same area.

It was 3-0 by the 20th minute when Al Ahbabi converted from close.

Stung, India tried to fight back. Sunil had a penalty appeal turned down after he was hacked down inside the area, while right back Pritam tried his luck from 35 yards with a stinging effort which the keeper somehow clung on to.

Changing over, any slim hope of a daunting comeback went up in smoke when four minutes into the hour mark the 2012 Olympics Qualifying Team rode their flying No 10 to the fourth goal. Alkatheeri slid in to tuck the ball in between Amrinder’s legs after a good pass from the right channel once again found him at the right place.

Coach Wim Koevermans ringed in a change in the hope of some pride to be restored with Shillong Lajong’s Seminlen Doungel replacing ineffective Dempo man Mandar Rao Desai in the 72nd minute. The former East Bengal forward almost made an immediate impact with an angular effort that flew inches over the frame.

Captain Sunil followed him on moments later getting on the end of a delectable ball from the defence. But uncharacteristically the AIFF Player of the Year’s shot was meek giving the advancing keeper no problems whatsoever.

UAE notched their fifth in the dying minutes of the one sided tie, this time Al Ahbabi riding luck to his double when his tamely drilled attempt past Amrinder was helped on its way by Sandesh on the goalline.

India next play Jordan on September 22.