India U20 men beat Singapore to continue AFC Asian Cup preparations

India’s U20 men’s football team defeated Singapore 1-0 in Bengaluru to register their second consecutive friendly win. Sumit Sharma Brahmacharimayum scored the decisive goal as the Blue Colts continue preparations for the AFC U20 Asian Cup China 2027 Qualifiers

New Delhi: The India U20 men’s team defeated Singapore 1-0 in the second closed-door friendly match at the Centre for Sports Excellence in Bengaluru on Thursday.

Sumit Sharma Brahmacharimayum (5′) scored the winning goal.

---

The Blue Colts are preparing for the AFC U20 Asian Cup China 2027 Qualifiers, which will be held in Uzbekistan from August 31 to September 6.

Earlier, the India U20 men’s team defeated Singapore 3-0 in the first of two closed-door friendly matches at the Centre for Sports Excellence in Bengaluru on Monday. Rishi Singh Ningthoukhongjam (45+2’) and Singamayum Shami (63’) netted the first two before the visitors scored an own goal (83’).

India U20 men’s team head coach Mahesh Gawali has picked his starting XI from a 30-player squad for two friendlies against Singapore.

The 30 were shortlisted from a total of 102 players from across the country who participated in the trials before the camp began. Following the evaluation process, Gawli picked 26 players to train with the U20 men’s national team.

Fifteen players have been temporarily released from the camp at the request of their clubs to participate in the Reliance Foundation Development League (RFDL) Japan Tour. The group comprises eight players from Punjab FC, six from Bengaluru FC, and one from FC Goa. They will rejoin the national team camp upon their return from Japan next week.

Further evaluations will take place before the Blue Colts’ preliminary squad for the AFC U20 Asian Cup Qualifiers is finalised and announced.

Before this series, India and Singapore have met twice before in official U20 men’s competitions, with India winning both encounters in the AFC Youth Championship — a 4-1 victory in 1966, followed by a penalty shootout triumph in the quarter-finals during their title-winning campaign in 1974.

The two sides also played a pair of U19 international friendlies in Goa in 2017, with India winning the first 7-2 before Singapore claimed the second 1-0.

In the 2027 qualifiers, the Blue Colts, led by head coach Mahesh Gawali, will face Syria (August 31), Uzbekistan (September 3), and Bangladesh (September 6) in Tashkent.