The India U-16 boys will today take on the defending AFC U-16 champions Iraq U-16s in the WAFF Championship 2018. India have played against Jordan, Japan so far and will take on Iraq in their third match of the tournament. The clash is expected to work as a preparatory match for the upcoming AFC U-16 championships, which will be held in Malaysia next month.
The clash will be a part of the fifth edition of the West Asian Football Federation Championship. The tournament itself, will act as an 'exposure tour' for the Indian team as they are set to face off against strong teams.
In their previous match, the Blue Colts suffered a loss to Japan and the scoreline at the end read two-one in favour of the Japanese. Bibiano Fernandes's boys started the match on a high note, going into the lead in the first half. The youngsters kept the lead with them till half-time.
However, the Japanese side came all guns blazing in the second half and were level shortly after the break. Momentum shifted towards the Japan U-16 side after their equalizer and they capitalized on it. Within six minuted of scoring the equalizer, Japan were ahead.
The young Indians tried to break the defence of the Samurai Blues but were unable to do so for the remainder of the match.
However, these exposure tours are not meant for celebrating victories. Instead, the purpose of these tours is to realize where the team is making mistakes and fix them. As a result, the Indian boys will not be too disappointed and continue their preparations for next months AFC U-16 Championship.
Here is all you need to know about the upcoming encounter of the Blue colts:
Match: India U-16 vs Iraq U-16
Timing: 10:30 PM IST (Indian Standard Time)
Venue: Amman International Stadium, Jordan
Date: 5 August 2018
Television Channel: None
Live Stream: mycujoo.tv
You can also follow all the LIVE updates of the WAFF U-16 fixture between India U16 and Iraq U16 on Sportskeeda!
Can the Blue Colts pull off an upset by defeating a strong team such as Iraq? Do share your opinions in the comments section below.