Confident India takes on Maldives in SAFF under-19 football championship

Rain threat looms large as India takes on Maldives in the second semifinal of the SAFF under-19 football championship at the Golden Jubilee Stadium in Yupia (Arunachal Pradesh) on Friday under floodlights

Hyderabad: Rain threat looms large as India takes on Maldives in the second semifinal of the SAFF under-19 football championship at the Golden Jubilee Stadium in Yupia (Arunachal Pradesh) on Friday under floodlights.

Nepal will take on Bangladesh in the first last four encounters at 3.30 pm.

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It has been raining incessantly over the past two days in Itanagar and the surrounding areas.

India steamrolled both their Group B opponents, Sri Lanka (8-0) and Nepal (4-0) to finish at the top of the standings and set up a clash with Maldives, who were winless but also unbeaten in Group A. The archipelago nation drew 2-2 in both matches against Bangladesh and Bhutan.

However, Maldives have shown great resolve, coming from behind in both games to squeeze through to the semi-finals.

“I think this was the most entertaining match in the tournament so far. Till the last second, we didn’t know which team would qualify,” Maldives head coach Ahmed Shakir said after the match.

India head coach Bibiano Fernandes felt that Maldives had shown great character, in both their matches, coming from behind to draw.

“That shows they don’t give up easily and can hurt teams if given space. For us, the approach remains the same, staying focused, humble, and playing to our strengths. We’ve analysed their games, and the boys are preparing well,” the Indian coach said.

Should the scores be level at the end of 90 minutes, the match will head straight to penalties.

For the record, India won all nine previous encounters against Maldives in the SAFF age group competitions.

Fernandes claimed that the Arunachal crowd has played a big role in India’s perfect showing at the tournament so far. “It’s not something you don’t see often at the youth level, and we’re really grateful for it. It’s given the boys a big boost in both matches, and we will carry that energy into the semi-final as well,” he said. “That kind of atmosphere pushes young players to perform and gives them confidence.

So, we hope more and more people come to watch the semi-final,” said the Indian coach.

The match will be streamed live on the Sportzworkz YouTube channel.