The India U-19 outfit kicked off its SAFF U-19 Championship title defense mission with a commanding 8-0 victory against Sri Lanka U-19 in the Group B opener at the Golden Jubilee Stadium in Yupia, Arunachal Pradesh, India.
Sri Lankan youths battled with a lot of heart in the early pace of the game against the tournament favorites and the defending champions’ side. During this passage, India had few golden opportunities to score, but rock-solid Sri Lankan defense prevented all of them.
Until the 17th minute Lankan lads gave a good fight, but the breakthrough came when Prashan Jajo burst down the left corner, beating his marker with pace and dummies to get the first blood from a tight angle (India 1 – 0 SL).
All of a sudden, Sri Lankan defense was in hot water as they tended to make errors under the tremendous pressure given by the host. The second success of the hosts came through a misjudged backpass from Sri Lanka that allowed Omang Dodum to deliver a pinpoint cross for Danny Meitei, who made no mistake with a well-timed header into the back of the net (India 2 – 0 SL).
>>Sri Lanka Football strengthens the U-19 outfit with the origin players<<
Danny Meitei never looked back and scored his second with a powerful left-footed effort from 21 yards out that flew past the helpless Sri Lanka goalkeeper (India 3 – 0 SL).
India scored their fourth goal a few minutes before halftime, when Danny Meitei delivered a cross pass into the box, where Mohammad Arbas managed to deliver the finishing touch with ease (India 4 – 0 SL).
Even in the second half, Sri Lankan youths failed to impress, as the Indians tightened the game further and further. After 3 minutes of play, Indian striker Omang Dodum, who did a superb goal assist earlier, scored his first with brilliant footwork to beat his marker before slotting between the legs of the Sri Lankan goalkeeper (India 5 – 0 SL).
A couple of minutes later, the Sri Lankan captain made a total mess of a goal kick, and star of the day Danny Meitei completed his hat-trick with a powerful kick by getting the maximum out of the gifted opportunity (India 6 – 0 SL).
In the mid-period of the second half, Prashan Jajo scored his second after the Sri Lankan goalkeeper failed to collect a regular header from the India captain, spilling the ball into the path of the forward, who slotted another goal with ease (India 7 – 0 SL).
The final success for the Indians came through individual brilliance from Indian captain Singamayum Shami himself, who danced past two defenders before having a perfect finish from a tight angle (India 8 – 0 SL). Though Sri Lanka had a handful of scoring opportunities, the premeditated defensive strategy prevented them from scoring while Indians dominated every inch of the pitch and left Sri Lanka chasing the shadows.
Match Summary
India 8 – 0 Sri Lanka
Danny Meitei 3 goals (26′, 31′, 50′)
Prashan Jajo (17′, 62′)
Mohammed Arbas (14′)
Omang Dodum (49’)
Singamayum Shami (81’)
In the curtain raiser game, Bangladesh confronted Maldives and the game ended in a draw with a score of 2-2.
