Indian team can heap a smile now. The blue colts march into the final of the SAFF U-17 Championship, beating Bangladesh 2-1 in the semis in Colombo on Monday. It was Indian forward Thanglalsoun Gangte who made the difference.
The youngster netted two goals in the 51st and 59th minutes of the match to push India to a memorable win. Meanwhile, Bangladesh pulled one back in the 62nd minute but it was not enough to take them through to the final.
Gangte Goes Bang Bang
In a match that saw high drama, both teams created many chances, especially in the first half. However, most of them were wasted. In the 16th minute, Korou Singh sent in a cross for Gangte. He was unmarked and had a great chance for a clean strike. However, rival goalkeeper Sohanur Rahaman was caught in between the main move. As a result, he failed to direct his header into the net.
After a goalless first half, India went in for an all-out attack mode and it provided them with rich dividends. The Blue Colts surged into the lead as the striker Gangte received it outside the opposition box and gave it a clean strike.
For obvious reasons, football at Sugathadasa Stadium is beautiful to watch.
Under – 17 Boys are in the same stadium today for the SAFF championship. #Bhutan had always fared well at U-17 championships in the recent years.
Hope the boys would give us another exciting story. pic.twitter.com/EGAgWt8pWN— Nima (@corridorchirps) August 31, 2022
The lead was doubled after seven minutes, thanks to some counterattack by Indian strikers, and Gangte was quick to pounce on it, to keep the team in a dominant position.
India Foil Bangladesh’s Counterattack
Bangladesh bounced back with a penalty goal, and it gave them a lot of impetuses to fight harder. Meanwhile, India exploited the gaps left behind in the Bangladesh back line. Against the run of the play, substitute Lalpekhlua had a couple of chances with around 15 minutes’ time left. However, could not extend the lead as the shot went wide. But in the end, India will take this win, marching forward into the final.
Meanwhile, the Indians are the defending champions and have a great chance to repeat their win last year. In 2019, they blanked Nepal 7-0 in the final to clinch the title. The final will be held on September 16. A total of six teams from the region have taken part in the tournament.
