India Under-19 boys lands in Tehran for Qualifiers

The India Under-19 squad landed in the Iranian capital Tehran at 4.30am on early today for the AFC Under-19 Championship qualifiers which kick-off on Monday, October 31. The squad arrived from Doha, Qatar where they were based for the last 12 days.

Chief Coach Colm Toal said he was 'happy' to have arrived in Tehran. "It always helps when you come in early. Arriving early has its own advantages," Colm maintained.

The boys were greeted by rain and temperatures as low as seven degrees which came in sharp contrast to the hot desert climate in Doha.

"The Camp in Doha was pretty useful. We got to practice on excellent grounds which is very much essential prior to such an important Championship. The boys made full use of the facilities," Coal added. "We need to make use of the time in Tehran and focus on our first match," Toal quipped.

The India U-19 team even played a practice match in Doha where they beat Al Rayyan U-19 team 4-1. Brandon Fernandes scored a hattrick while Johnny Chand Singh scored the other goal.

India who have been clubbed in Group C along with hosts Iran, strong contenders Uzbekistan, dark horses Turkmenistan and archrivals Pakistan. India U-19 play their first match against Turkmenistan on October 31 and they will hope to qualify for the final round like the Under-16 boys. The boys were given a day's rest to overcome from the jet lag and will resume their practice session from Saturday.


INDIA U-19

Goalkeepers
Ravi Kumar, Albino Gomes, Mohammed Moniruzzaman Ansari

Defenders
Bikramjit Singh, Sonu, Arijeet Singh, Pawan Kumar, Akashdeep Singh, Pritam Kotal, Edwin, Narayan Das

Midfielders
Sehnaj Singh, Prabir Das, Pranoy Halder, Johnny Chand Singh, Tirthankar Sarkar, Sunny, Anto Xavier, Brandon Fernandes

Forwards
Holicharan Narzary, Sumit Passi, Rajinder Kumar, Malswamfela

Officials
Colm Joseph Toal (Head Coach), Francisco Bruto Da Costa (Assistant Coach), Syed Shabbir Pasha (Assistant Coach), Feroze Sheriff (Goalkeeping Coach), Vijayan Inian Lenin (Physio), C.M. Ranjith (Manager)


INDIA U-19 Fixtures

October 31: India U-19 vs Turkmenistan U-19
November 2: Iran U-19 vs India U-19
November 4: India U-19 vs Uzbekistan U-19
November 8: Pakistan U-19 vs India U-19