BHUBANESWAR 07-Aug-2018
India U-16 National Football Team, featuring Odisha mid-fielder Bekey Oram, ended their campaign in the five-nation WAFF U-16 Championship on a sparkling note when they humbled Yemen 3-0 in Amman, Jordan today.
Putting up impressive performance in the tournament, Indian boys won three matches and lost a close one to Japan. They made short work of Jordan 4-0, accounted for current U-16 Asian Champions Iraq 1-0 and lost to Asian powerhouses Japan 1-2.
In the opening match against Jordan at the King Abdullah II Stadium in Jordan, Bekey scored the fourth and last goal after a hat-trick by captain Vikram Pratap Singh. The tournament was part of their exposure tour organised by AIFF in conjunction with SAI as preparation for the forthcoming AFC U-16 Championship Malaysia 2018 which is to be competed among the top 16 teams in Asia.
The qualified teams in the AFC U-16 Championship have been divided into four groups of 4 teams each with the top two from each group advancing to the quarterfinals. India have been clubbed with Iran, Vietnam and Indonesia in Group C. The four semi-finalists get a direct ticket to the next edition of the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2019.
INDIA U-16 TEAM: Niraj Kumar (GK), Thoiba Singh, Harpreet Singh, Shabas Ahammed, Manish Chaudhary, Bekey Oram 84`, Ridge Melvin (Harpreet 86`), Givson Singh (Sailo 75`), Ricky John, Vikram Singh (C) (43`, 61`, 73`) (Ravi Bahadur Rana 75`), Rohit Danu. Head Coach: Bibiano Fernandes.
RESULTS:
August 1: India (Vikram Singh 43’,61’,73’; Bekey Oram 84’) beat Jordan 4-0.
August 3: India (Vikram Singh 26-P’) lost to Japan (58’,64’) 1-2.
August 5: India (Bhuvenesh 90’) beat Iraq 1-0.
August 7: India (Harpreet Singh 37’, Ridge Demello 47’, Rohit Danu 48’) beat Yemen 3-0.
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PHOTO: India U-16 Boys Team (Bekey Oram Jersy No 8) before their match against Jordan on August 8, 2018.
