India U-17 team loses to Tajikistan

The Indian U-17 World Cup Squad lost 0-1 against Tajikistan in a play-off match in the Granatkin Memorial Cup in Russia today.

The Granatkin Memorial Cup that featured 16 Teams from across the World saw India finish last with only one win in five matches.

In a drab first half, both Teams failed to test each other’s custodians even once and played a cautiously. While India tried to dominate possession but failed to make any substantial chances, Tajikistan resorted to counter attacks, which were easily disposed by the Indian defence.

With neither able to develop a strong foot into the match, both Teams went into the tunnel on level pegging as the half-time scoreline read 0-0.

In the 59th minute, Tajikistan was reduced to ten men when its captain was red carded for a rash foul. Playing a man down, Tajikistan committed men into defence and made it hard for the Indian Colts to foster a clear goal scoring chance.

Head Coach Nicolai Adam made his first change in the 66th minute when he replaced Joysana with Shubham to up the ante. However, it was Tajikistan who struck against the run of play and in the 80th minute took a solitary goal lead.

The Indian Colts tried hard and pressed for an equalizer but failed to get past the Tajik defence and the full-time scoreline read 1-0 in Tajikistan’s favour.