Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Sept 22 :
India played out a 1-1 draw against hosts Uzbekistan here on Sunday to finish on top of Group B and qualify for the AFC U-16 Championship to be held in Bahrain next year.
India, coached by Bibiano Fernandes, finished on seven points from three matches — the same as Uzbekistan but qualified as group winners by virtue of better goal difference (+10) in comparison to the home team’s +3.
India had earlier beaten Turkmenistan and Bahrain by identical 5-0 margins.
Needing just a draw to top the group, India took the lead in the 68th minute when Sridarth tapped the ball home off a rebound.
But even though the hosts levelled the scores in the 81st minute, the Indians managed to hold on to a draw and achieve their mission.
This is India’s third consecutive entry into the AFC U-16 Championships and ninth overall.
Since 2011, this is India’s fourth entry into the AFC U-16 Championships, the previous ones being in 2011, 2015, and in 2017.
Only last year, India suffered a heart-breaking loss to Korea Republic in the quarterfinals of the AFC U-16 Championships, where they were a match away from a direct qualification to the next FIFA U-17 World Cup. (PTI)
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