Asian Games Football: India now face mighty Japan

The India Under-23 national team qualified for the Round of 16 at the 2010 Asian Games, their first passage to the knockout stages of the Asian Games since the 1982 Asian Games at home in New Delhi. And now our boys will face the mighty Japan, who topped Group A while we finished third in Group D.

For coach Sukhvinder Singh and his boys it is a big achievement that our Under-23 national team could qualify for the kncokout stages of the Asian Games after so many years. And to enhance the value of this achievement even more, coach Sukhvinder is missing a number of players from Bob Houghton's pool of 30 players, who were a crucial part of the team in their SAFF Cup triumph last December like goalkeeper Arindam Bhattcharya and central midfielder Baldeep Singh, leading the team from the front.

India qualified as one of the four best teams in third position in the six groups. Actually India is the best out of those four teams, who all have three points with one win and two losses; but India had a goal difference of +/- 0, Uzbekistan (-1), Vietnam (-3) and Malaysia (-4) wree worse.

Now it is Japan and the Japanese are always a candidate for titles at Asian level competition, but interestingly they have never ever won the Asian Games football title. Their best finish was a runners-up spot in 2002 besides winning the bronze medal in 1951 and 1966. So on paper India is actually the more successful nation in Asian Games football with titles in 1951 and 1962 plus the bronze in 1970, which was won with a 1-0 win against the Japanese. Surely those wins were many decades back and things have changes in Asian football.

Japan qualified for the Round of 16 as the group winners from Group A with an all win record, not even conceding a single goal in the process. They started with a fluent 3-0 win against the hosts China, then a 2-0 win against Malaysia and finished their group engagements with a 3-0 win against Kyrgyzstan.

Surely the Japanese are the big favourites to move on, but in football you never know as upsets are possible. If no injury problems crop up then Sukhvinder is likely to play the same eleven as in the first couple of matches with suspended Robert Lalthalma coming back into the starting line-up, while Gurpreet Singh Sandhu stays in goal.

The two sides will meet on Tuesday, November 16 at 15.30 local time at the Huangpu Sports Center in Guangzhou to decide who makes it to the quarterfinals. The winner of this game would then have to face either Thailand or Turkmenistan for a place in the semifinals.


Likely India Under-23 Line-up

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu; Denzil Franco, Rowilson Rodrigues, Dharmaraj Ravanan, Robert Lalthalma; Joachim Abranches, Manish Maithani, Jewel Sheikh Raja, Jibon Singh; Jeje Lalpekhlua, Balwant Singh

Asian Games Football: India trash Singapore, move into Round of 16

The India Under-23 national team finally found their goal scoring boots in a 4-1 trashing of Singapore in their final 2010 Asian Games Group D match at the Huadu Stadium in Goungzhou, China. And with this win India have ensured that they are amongst the best four of the six third placed teams, which means India qualify for the Round of 16.

Though matches in three groups are set to be played only tomorrow India move on as other third placed teams aren't better then us and four of the six third-placed move into the Round of 16. The Maldives have only two points, while Uzbekistan have three points like India, but a negative goal difference of -1 while India have an even goal difference of +/- 0.

India took an early 13th minute lead through a Jewel Sheikh Raja freekick, but it was made easy by Singapore for the Bengali youngster. The wall just wasn't placed properly infront of the ball to block the freekick. Singapore could have equalised, but it remained 1-0 for India.

After the break an alert Balwant Singh scored India's second in the 62nd minute as he saw Singapore goalkeeper Muhammad Durimi way out of his goal, Balwant took a long range attempt which went in. Down by two goals Singapore was forced to open up to have any chance in the match and tournamnet, and this helped India as they utilised the space which they now got. Jibon Singh made it 3-0 for India in the 67th minute after a nice build-up and then Manish Maithani's shot made it four in the 75th minute. Singapore's Zhenlun Luo was only able to reduce the deficit in the 83rd minute as India scored a historic 4-1 victory against Singapore.

India coach Sukhvinder Singh was delighted with the win. He said afterwards, "It was a tough match, but my boys played well. Conditions were tough as we were playing our third match in five days with the same bunch of players. And we were only thinking of winning the match by a good margin. We were confident that if we play with the same enthusiasm that we displayed against defending champions Qatar we can win this match."

"Today my boys gave their best and all the goals were spectacular. Now we will get some rest before gearing up for the next stage," Sukhvinder added.

Who India's opponent will be in the Pre-Quarterfinals next week will be decided only after the last round of group matches tomorrow.


India Under-23

1-Gurpreet Singh Sandhu; 18-Denzil Franco, 4-Rowilson Rodrigues, 14-Dharmaraj Ravanan, 15-Lalrozama Fanai; 11-Joachim Abranches [C], 8-Manish Maithani, 23-Jewel Sheikh Raja, 12-K. Jibon Singh; 24-Jeje Lalpekhlua, 10-Balwant Singh
Substitutions: ??-Karanjit Singh, 2-Abhishek Das, 7-Milan Ongnam Singh, 9-Raju Gaikwad, 19-Subodh Kumar, 20-Lalrindika Ralte, 25-Malswamfela, 27-Jagtar Singh

Asian Games Football: Do or Die match for India

The India Under-23 team play their final Group D match tomorrow against Singapore in the 2010 Asian Games football tournament in Guangzhou, China. And after two losses against Kuwait and Qatar India only have a chance to progress to the Round of 16 if they are able to beat Singapore, otherwise their tournament would come to an end but even a win might not be enough to stay in the tournament.

Singapore meanwhile have a single point on the board after an opening day draw against Qatar, but against Kuwait they also suffered a loss like India. So we can expect an interesting match between the two sides, who both still have hopes of survival.

Coach Sukhvinder Singh will have to decide who to put in goal as Laxmikant Kattimani is out injured. Young Gurpreet Singh Sandhu looked shaky at times after coming on against Qatar, so Sukhi might use tried and tested Karanjit Singh, who has played under him at JCT for many years. Elsewhere Sukhvinder will have to replace Robert Lalthalma due to a double booking with Lalrozama Fanai set to replace him, and captain Joaquim Abranches might have to sit out with an ankle injury.

Sukhvinder said about the match, "It is a difficult situation. If we win, we have a chance but we are not looking at that now. We are only aiming to play well, that is our focus." To some such a statement might sound weird but that is Sukhvinder Singh, who added, "It'll be a tough game tomorrow but we will try to give our best."


Likely India Under-23 Line-up

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu; Denzil Franco, Rowilson Rodrigues, Dharmaraj Ravanan, Lalrozama Fanai; Joachim Abranches, Manish Maithani, Jewel Sheikh Raja, Jibon Singh; Jeje Lalpekhlua, Balwant Singh

Asian Games Football: India suffer late loss

The India Under-23 national team suffered a 1-2 loss at the hands of defending champions Qatar in a Group D match of the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou. India had taken the lead in the game, but conceded two goals in the last 10 minutes to miss out on the chance of a historic win.

Coach Sukhvinder Singh didn't change his starting line-up as had been speculated. He gave Jeje Lalpekhlua a start upfront along with Balwant Singh and kept young Jagtar Singh on the bench. Qatar had more of the action early on, but it was India who went ahead through defender Dharmaraj Ravanan following a corner in the 19th minute. And it was a surprise to see India more in control of proceedings thereafter in the first session, but they couldn't build on their lead as India went into the break with a 1-0 lead.

After the breather came a shocker for India as their goalkeeper Laxmikant Kattimani had to taken off after a collision with Qatari midfielder Mohamed Salah. On came young Gurpreet Singh Sandhu after 53 minutes. Qatar had more of the game in the second session with the West Asians looking sometimes desperate in their attempts for the equaliser. They got it through striker Ali Jaralla in the 80th minute through a looping header which went past Gurpreet. The match was now on the edge, but the defending champions got the winner through another strike from Ali Jaralla, whose left footed long range effort went in with two minutes to go. In the end it was all in vain for India.

Coach Sukhvinder Singh said after the game, "We really played well today. After going down to Kuwait in the first match, it's was a fantastic performance by the boys."

"We created many chances today and the way boys played well in the first half, it was a treat to watch and we were unfortunate to concede two quick goals, which could have been avoided for sure. We also missed two sitters, Balwant missed a one-to-one chance, which could have changed the whole course of the game," Sukhvinder added.

Now it is Singapore. After two losses India still have the chance to qualify for the Round of 16, only they need to beat Singapore in their final game on Thursday, November 11 and hope they are amongst the best four third placed teams in the tournament. Otherwise the football competition is over before the real games begin on Friday.


India Under-23

21-Laxmikant Kattimani (1-Gurpreet Singh Sandhu); 18-Denzil Franco, 4-Rowilson Rodrigues, 14-Dharmaraj Ravanan, 17-Robert Lalthalma; 11-Joachim Abranches [C], 8-Manish Maithani, 23-Jewel Sheikh Raja, 12-K. Jibon Singh; 24-Jeje Lalpekhlua, 10-Balwant Singh (27-Jagtar Singh)
Substitutions: 2- Abhishek Das, 7-Milan Ongnam Singh, 9-Raju Gaikwad, 15-Lalrozama Fanai, 19-Subodh Kumar, 20-Lalrindika Ralte, 25-Malswamfela

Asian Games Football: India face defending champions

The India Under-23 team face an uphill task against defending champions Qatar in the 2010 Asian Games football tournament tomorrow. The India Juniors played a good opening game against Kuwait, but in the end lost 0-2 against the team from the Gulf. And now they face Qatar who are under pressure after a surprising opening round draw against minnows Singapore, which leaves Group D open for all.

India face a strong Qatar side, but the star of the Qataris is not on the field, he is rather on the bench in Frenchman Bruno Metsu. Metsu is best known for coaching Senegal at the 2002 FIFA World Cup in which they beat the then defending champions France. Since then Metsu has worked in the Gulf in Qatar and the UAE with mixed success.

Our own coach Sukhvinder Singh was said to be happy with yesterday's performance only questioning the finishing of his own team. And this might lead to a change in attack with Sukhvinder considering bringing in Jagtar Singh for Jeje Lalpekhlua, who was off colour in the game against Kuwait. Otherwise Sukhvinder is set to trust the same starting line-up though taking a more defensive approach against an opponent he considers stronger then Kuwait.


Likely India Under-23 Line-up

Laxmikant Kattimani; Denzil Franco, Rowilson Rodrigues, Dharmaraj Ravanan, Robert Lalthalma; Joachim Abranches, Manish Maithani, Jewel Sheikh Raja, Jibon Singh; (Jeje Lalpekhlua or Jagtar Singh), Balwant Singh

Asian Games Football: India lose opener

The India Under-23 national team opened their 2010 Asian Games campaign with a 0-2 loss against Kuwait in Group D at the Huadu Stadium in Guangzhou. In the other group match Singapore caused a surprise by holding Qatar goalless. India now face defending champions Qatar on Tuesday, November 9 and in the final match Singapore on Thursday, November 11. And even with today's loss India still have chances to make it to the Round of 16.

In a match-up of the West Asian and South Asian champions, India did challenge their superior Gulf rivals in the game, but conceded an early goal as well as another in the second session to let Kuwait walk away with the three points. Striker Khaled Al Azemi scored both the goals for the Kuwaitis.

The Indian Juniors were worthy opponents, but the lack of goals was once more the downfall for India. India did have chances through captain Joaquim Abranches, Jewel Sheikh Raja and Balwant Singh but none on the scoreboard and that counts. India were nearly same on ball possession 49 to 51%, had more corners with 5-1 and 5-6 shots on target.

After the match coach Sukhvinder Singh was happy with his teams performance, but rued the missed chances which could have led to Indian goals.


India Under-23

21-Laxmikant Kattimani; 18-Denzil Franco, 4-Rowilson Rodrigues, 14-Dharmaraj Ravanan, 17-Robert Lalthalma; 11-Joachim Abranches [C], 8-Manish Maithani, 23-Jewel Sheikh Raja, 12-K. Jibon Singh; 24-Jeje Lalpekhlua (25-Malswamfela), 10-Balwant Singh
Substitutions: 1-Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, 2- Abhishek Das, 7-Milan Ongnam Singh, 9-Raju Gaikwad, 15-Lalrozama Fanai, 19-Subodh Kumar, 20-Lalrindika Ralte, 27-Jagtar Singh

Asian Games: The Football Jersey Fiasco

By the time I write this blog entry the India Under-23 fotball team will have played its first match in the football tournament of the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou in China. But there has been a major issue with jersey's as the Indian Olympic Association at the last moment decided not to provide match kits to participating Indian teams for reasons only known to them.

As per my knowledge Reebok has been kitting India for the Olympics and other sporting events where the IOA send delegations like the 2010 South Asian Games in Bangladesh or even the last 2006 Asian Games in Qatar. I clearly remember that the then football squad playing in Reebok kit.

This sudden decision by the IOA came as a surprise to all and once more proves the amateur approach of our sports administrators. The IOA did agree to provide Rs 3,500 per athlete for their match kit, which surel will not be enough for the footballers if bought in the open market and most likely the same for other sports federations.

What made matters worse for the AIFF was that the under-23 football team had been send to Beijing for exposure, so it had left only with training kit and match kit for friendlies which show the name of sponsors 'Panasonic' besides the Nike swosh. But it is a rule in international football that no sponsor name can be displayed on jersey's.

And here I have to be harsh on the AIFF officials too. Why is the team not send on a foreign trip with a back-up kit for eventualities with only the AIFF badge and Nike logo on the shirts in both colours of blue and orange? Surely the IOA is supposed to provide the kit from their kit partners, but in such a case of emergency there needs to be a contingency plan and Nike surely would have loved to provide the jersey's as they get exposure and the AIFF wouldn't have to spend any money.

What happened? The team management got jersey's made in China, only with numbers and AIFF logo; but it is mandetory to have the names of players on the jersey's as per Asian Games rules. Now the only option was to use the jersey's with 'Panasonic' written on them, but the sponsors name would have be covered with some sort tape. And that just does not look professional at all. Hopefully a better solution is found for the second game or maybe simply someone sends a new set of kits by cargo to Guangzhou.

It seems that we often fail with things which I would call simply basic, while always looking at the bigger picture. This sadly just doesn't work...

Asian Games Football: India face Kuwait in opener

The 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China will only open on November 12, but the football tournament starts tomorrow so the 24 team tournament can be finished by the end of the games. The India Under-23 face Kuwait in their opening Group D match tomorrow at the Huadu Stadium in Guangzhou.

The two other teams in the group are defending champions Qatar and Singapore, who also face each other tomorrow. India then face Qatar on November 9 and Singapore in their final group match on November 11. The top two teams from each group will move into the pre-quarterfinals and the four of the six best third placed sides will also make it to the Round of 16.

The India Under-23 is being coached by seasoned Sukhvinder Singh. In December 2009 the squad had won the South Asian Football Federation Championships in Dhaka, Bangaldesh; but since then the squad has only played one friendly game. That was last month a 1-3 loss against Vietnam in Cuttack, which the coach termed as an important test ahead of a training camp in China.

Sukhvinder Singh goes into the tournament without any additions from the senior national team as Bob Houghton didn't release anyone from his 30 members squad. The Asian Games might have been good exposure for boys like Govin Singh, N. Mohanraj, Jagpreet Singh or Baljit Singh Sahni, but it also would have hampered Bob's preparations for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup.

The Asian Games are an Under-23 football tournament which allows three overage players like in the Olympics. In Sukhvinder's squad captain Joaquim Abranches is 25, while Karanjit Singh and Denzil Franco are 24 years old. The squad is a good mix which has a number of young talents from the Under-20 squad of the AIFF XI.


Likely India Under-23 Line-up

Laxmikant Kattimani; Denzil Franco, Rowilson Rodrigues, Dharmaraj Ravanan, Robert Lalthalma; Joachim Abranches, Manish Maithani, Jewel Sheikh Raja, Jibon Singh; Jeje Lalpekhlua, Balwant Singh

2010 Asian Games: Football draws are out

The draw for the football tournament at the 2010 Asian Games to be held in Guangzhou, China was carried out earlier today. The men's competition will see 24 teams divided into six groups of four teams each with the top two sides from each group plus the four best third placed teams making it into the Round of 16. From there on it would be a knockout tournament to win the gold medal.

Though the Asian Games only open on November 12, the football tournament will be held from November 7 to 25. The competition like the Olympic football tournament will be an Under-23 tournament with three over aged players allowed per squad. The football competitions will be played across seven venues - Ying Dong Stadium, Huadu Stadium, Huangpu Stadium, Yuexiu Stadium, Guangdong People’s Stadium, Huagdong Stadium and Tianhe Stadium.

Two time champions India have been drawn in a difficult Group D along with defending champions Qatar, Kuwait and Singapore. Moving into the knockout stages is surely possible for the Sukhvinder Singh coached boys but for that a win against Singapore is a must plus good results against Kuwait and the mighty Qataris. One will have to see if Bob Houghton does release some of his senior team boys, while some India Under-20 boys will move up to be part of the squad ahead of their I-League engagements.

Four years ago in the Qatari capital Doha India had opened with a draw due to a late equaliser from Hongkong, beaten the Maldives 2-1 through a late Subhas Chakraborty goal, and then lost 0-2 against a strong Iran. That was then the end of the road for India as only the top team moved into the quarterfinals.


THE GROUPINGS

MEN

Group A: China, Malaysia, Kyrgyzstan, Japan
Group B: Iran, Vietnam, Bahrain, Turkmenistan
Group C: South Korea, Palestine, Jordan, North Korea
Group D: Qatar, Kuwait, India, Singapore
Group E: Uzbekistan, United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Bangladesh
Group F: Thailand, Maldives, Oman, Pakistan


WOMEN

Group A: China, South Korea, Vietnam, Jordan
Group B: North Korea, Japan, Thailand