AFC Under-16 Championship: Uzbekistan beat India 3-2 in a thriller!

A spirited India came back from twice being a goals down, but still lost 2-3 against 2010 runners-up Uzbekistan in the Group D opening match of the AFC Under-16 Championshipat the Rah Ahan Stadium in Tehran on Sunday.

India had the first chance of the match in the 6th minute when striker Daniel Lalhimpuia anticipated well and latched onto a loose ball but the rival goalkeeper Eshbutaev Shokrukhjon recovered well in time to palm his intended overhead lob away. A couple of minutes later Uzbek forward Mukhiddin Odilov sneaked in to gather a pass from Izzatilla Abdullaev and rounded off Indian goalie Supratim Bhattacharjee to give his side the lead. The Uzbeks were the more mature side on display, but a brilliant Supratim Bhattacharjee and his defence denied the central Asians more goals in the first session.

The second session would be high on class and four goals would be scored. India regrouped in the and equalised in the 47th minute when talented striker Uttam Rai headed in Daniel Lalhimpuia's freekick from the corner of the inner box. But the lead didn't last long as in the 53rd minute, Ibrokhim Abdullaev converted from the spot after the referee pulled-up Myron Mendes for bringing down goal scorer Odilov inside the box. Seven minutes later, India suffered a jolt in the 60th minute when captain Lalramzuava had to be replaced for a calf and hamstring cramp after he had marshalled the midfield with confidence.

It was again Uttam Rai who equalised amid confusion amongst the Uzbek defenders as he popped up the goal off a second half substitute Raja Rawat's cross to score again for India in the 71st minute. But Uzbekistan would seal the match in their favour in the 79th minute when Ilhomjon volleyed in a low cross from the right. India went all out in the final 10 minutes but it wasn't enough to equalise for a third time in the match.

After the match coach Colm Toal said, "We are talking about India playing Uzbekistan who are one of the top countries in Asia and giving them a good chase and scoring two goals past them are the clear sign of progression."

"Our back four alongside with the goalkeepers were brilliant today, we brought the match at level twice so a point each would have been fair result. If you look at the circumstances we conceded the goals it's unbelievable; the first was penalty and the second was scored when we were only 10-man in the field due to an injured player," Toal added.

India next play Syria on Tuesday, September 25; who played a 1-1 draw against China in their opening match.


MATCH STATS

Uzbekistan 3-2 India - Goals: 1-0 Mukhiddin Odilov (8'), 1-1,2-2 Uttam Rai (47',71'), 2-1 Ibrokhim Abdullaev (53' pen), 3-2 Ilhomjon Abdiganiyev (79')

Uzbekistan
12-Shokhrukhjon Eshbutaev [C] - 2-Jamshid Boltaboev, 3-Islom Ismoilov (87' 18-Oybek Erkinov), 4-Akramjon Komilov, 9-Ibrokhim Abdullaev - 7-Ravshanbek Khursanov, 13-Alisher Mirzaev (46' 8-Ilhomjon Abdiganiyev), 15-Izzatilla Abdullaev (64' 6-Ulugbek Davlatov), 17-Doctonbek Khamdamov, 20-Otabek Shukrov - 23-Mukhiddin Odilov
Unused Subs: 1-Sarvar Karimov, 22-Abbosbek Ulmasbekov; 5-Shohjakhon Kilichev, 10-Javokhir Sidikov, 11-Akobir Turaev, 14-Islombek Karimov, 16-Adhamjon Ahmadjonov, 19-Khumoyun Agzamov, 21-Shohjahon Abbasov

India
20-Supratim Bhattacharjee; 4-Gurba Gagrai, 7-Mohammed Sajid Dhot, 8-Myron Mendes, 11-Sarthak Golui; 15-Alen Deory, 18-Germanpreet Singh, 21-Issac Vanmalswama (68' 3-Raja Rawat), 22-Khiangte Lalramzuava [C] (60' 2-Nitin Jyal); 10-Uttam Rai, 14-Daniel Lalhlimpuia (85' 13-Vanlalduatsanga)
Unused Subs: 1-Agaipal Singh, 23-Avinash Kumar; 5-Jimmy Maibam, 6-Manraj Singh, 9-Nabin Rabha, 12-Vivekananda Sagayaraj, 16-Kamalpreet Singh, 17-Geremsha Basumatary, 19-Hanan Javed Nellikkavil

Referee
Chaiya Mahapab (Thailand)

AFC U-16 Championship: India face Uzbekistan in opener

The India Under-16 boys open their campaign in the AFC Under-16 Championships against Uzbekistan today at the Rah Ahan Stadium in Tehran. The other two sides in Group D are Syria and neighbours China.

But India have bad memories of the Uzbek youngsters, then in the qualifiers last year in Tashkent they had been trashed 9-0 by a very talented young Uzbek side. This is surely something which head coach Colm Toal and his boys will want to avoid and get a better result today.

India who earned a ticket for the final phase in October 2011 in Tashkent, stay clubbed with Uzbekistan, Syria and China in Group D. The top-two from each Group qualify for the Quarterfinals while the four semifinalists get a direct entry into the U-17 World Cup. On the surface that means, India stay 4 matches away from a spot in the World Cup.

Former Indian National Coach Rustam Akramov is currently the Director of Uzbekistan's National Teams and speaking about their Under-16 the elder statesman says, "We have trained for 73 days abroad for the Championship and have played 24 International matches. This U-16 bunch of ours stays more tactically organised than our U-19 batch."

"International exposures at this age matters. Uzbekistan go into the match with more confidence than us," Colm Joseph Toal utters. "But we will be competitive!"

The Indian boys always move in a group. Speak to them but it's hard to make them speak. All they understand is that they stay on the threshold of history and need to perform to their potential. "From the batch of 2008 (last time India played AFC U-16 Championship), Lalrindika Ralte, Manandeep Singh and Shilton D’Silva made already played for India," Toal recollects. The Under-16 boys enquire about India's performance in the AFC U-22 Championship qualifiers. Dika, Milan, Manandeep were all part of that.

"I feel, at this level, you can never be consistent. It's all about the age. They are not even 16," Akramov says. "We have had exceptional days and even below average ones. At this age, the heart plays a big role. Everything stays so unpredictable."

There's always a bit of restlessness yet calm about Colm Toal. He checks every minute detail and stays the first one to arrive down at the lobby for the practice sessions. Having earlier coached China and Uzbekistan, he knows their footballing structure, the age-group teams more than anyone else.

It's hard to judge whether the boys love or respect him more. Toal smiles. "We need to be competitive and we will," he murmurs. The boys can't hear him this time. With a ball in their hands, traffic obstacles force a halt every second minute. The journey stays long. The Rah Ayan Stadium awaits today.

AFC hands out four match suspension against Ishfaq Ahmed

The disciplinary committee of the Asian Football Confederation met earlier this week and imposed fines and suspensions following recent violations of regulations in the AFC Champions League and AFC Cup. One of those cases was that of Salgaocar SC winger Ishfaq Ahmed, who had been send-off in the clubs sixth and final group stage match againest Neftchi FC in Uzbekistan on May 8.

Ishfaq Ahmed has been given a four match suspension for verbally abusing the Yemeni referee Al-Yarimi Muokhtar Saleh Ali, which the referee reported to the match commissioner. Ishfaq will carry the suspension with him to his new club East Bengal, if they play Asian competition next year as it is a personal fine and not one imposed on the club.


This is what the AFC said in the judgement on Ishfaq Ahmed

1. Pursuant to Article 49 par. 1 a) of the AFC Disciplinary Code (the Code), the player, Ishfaq Ahmed (AFC/7503/IND) is suspended for four matches for a violation of Article 69 par. a) of the AFC Cup Regulations 2012 and Article 57 of the Code.

2. The four match suspension includes the one match automatic suspension arising from the said match on 8.5.2012.

3. The match suspensions are to be carried over in accordance with Article 38 par. 2 c) of the Code.

4. The player, Ishfaq Ahmed (AFC/7503/IND) is given a warning that a repeat violation of these provisions will be met with more severe punishment.

AFC Under-16 Championships: Tough draw for India

The draw for the final round of the AFC Under-16 Championship was held today in the Iranian capital Tehran, which is set to host the tournament from September 22 to October 6, 2012. The India Under-16 boys have been drawn in tough Group D alongside Uzbekistan, Syria and China.

After the group stages which will be played September 22-27, the top two teams from each group (eight teams in total) will qualify for the knockout stages, the quarterfinals (September 30) and then the semifinals (October 3) with the winners advancing to the final (October 6).

The India Under-16 boys had qualified as the second-placed team from a complicated qualifying Group C in Tashkent having beaten Tajikistan, Bahrain and Kyrgyzstan; but having suffered a 0-9 loss against the hosts Uzbekistan.

After qualification coach Thomas Joseph had said, "Everyone has made a sacrifice – right from the boys to the team management. All have been away from their families for long. Hence, the satisfaction level stays higher."


GROUP

Group A: Iran, Kuwait, Yemen, Laos
Group B: Australia, Iraq, Oman, Thailand
Group C: North Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea
Group D: Uzbekistan, Syria, China, India

AFC Cup: Both Indian clubs lose once more

The 2012 AFC Cup campaign ended for Salgaocar SC and East Bengal Club the way it had started with another loss. While the Goans have at least a win and a draw to their name, the Kolkata giants lost all their six matches; which does leave questions about the standard of Indian clubs and/or the seriousness of Indian participants in the competition though Indian clubs as I-League champions have been eyeing the AFC Champions League qualifiers.


Uzbekistan's FC Neftchi easily beat Salgaocar SC 3-0 at home on Tuesday to take revenge for a surprise two-all draw in Goa back in March. Neftchi finished second on 11 points, while Salgaocar finished fourth and last with four points.

The Uzbeks made the perfect start when striker Pavel Smolyachenko gave them a first minute lead and it was Smolyachenko again who doubled Neftchi's lead five minutes into the second half as the striker bounced to turn home following an error from Salgaocar defender Nicolau Colaco. And with 13 minutes remaining Anvar Berdiev's third goal of the campaign and also the match sealed Neftchi's third win in Group D before Salgaocar’s Ahmed Ishfaq was sent-off in stoppage time.

"Despite injuries to several players I am happy that we put up a good show with whatever was available with to us," said Neftchi coach Yuri Sarkisan.

"We were not under any pressure as we had already qualified and we played for the spectators today. Although Salgaocar played well, I felt their defence was weak."

"It was a tough match for us, especially since we have been travelling for the past six days. First it was for our last league (I-League) match and now for the AFC Cup match," said Salgaocar coach Karim Bencherifa.

"To add to that, half of my team is injured, and many of my key players like (Lamare) Rocus and Gilbert (Oliveira) did not play today. I also want to say that these are not any excuses but these are facts. However, I feel we could have done much better today," Karim ended.


Kolkata giants were on the verge of picking-up their first point of this AFC Cup campaign, but in the end had to settle for a 1-2 defeat against Kazma from Kuwait. While Kazma finished second on 11 points, East Bengal finished last with no points to their name.

Ismail Al Ajmi had given the visitors an early 8th minute lead at the Saltlake Stadium but the red-and-golds Brazilian striker Edmilson Marques Pardal struck in the 18th minute of a rebound to draw level. But the home side suffered a severe blow when young wing-back Saikat Saha Roy was sent off in the 35th minute but Kazma failed to make the extra man count until Masahri Al Azmi struck in the first time of injury time to secure the three points.

"We were lucky to win but it was absolutely cruel to play in the heat and humidity of Kolkata," said experienced Kazma coach Milan Macala.

"We fought well with 10 men as the boys played their heart out," said East Bengal coach Trevor Morgan.

"Their performance despite their intensive travelling was indeed commendable," Trevor added.

AFC Cup: Salgaocar draw, East Bengal lose

The two Indian participating clubs - Salgaocar SC and East Bengal Club - in the 2012 AFC Cup remain winless after match day two, but at least Salgaocar SC did cause a surprise by holding favourites FC Neftchi from Uzbekistan to a two-all draw at home while East Bengal were beaten 3-0 away by Kuwaiti side Kazma SC.

Group B: Kazma SC 3-0 (2-0) East Bengal Club
Kolkata giants East Bengal Club flew to Kuwait with the aim of trying to bring something back home to India, but again they came back empty handed. Kazma beat East Bengal 3-0 at the Friendship & Peace Stadium in Kuwait City. After an even game it was Kazma striker Yousef Naser who put the Emir Cup holders ahead in the 38th minute with a powerfully-struck free-kick from 30 metres which sailed past East Bengal goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu into the left corner of the net and a minute from the half-time whistle defender Naser Al Wohaid struck when he turned a cross from the right into the net from close range. The win was sealed in the 58th minute when Gambian defender Abdou Gammeh headed-in a cross from the left.

Group D: Salgaocar SC 2-2 (1-1) FC Neftchi
Salgaocar SC hosted FC Neftchi in their first-ever AFC Cup match at the Nehru Stadium, Margao which ended in a to-all draw. The Uzbeks were the better side, but the Indian champions game them a fight and earned a deserving point in the end. It was Otabek Isroilov who gave Neftchi the lead following a 27th minute free-kick but just before the half-time whistle Japanese midfielder Ryuji Sueoka levelled the score. Again Neftchi attacked Salgaocar's in search of the lead and they earned it through a Aziz Alijonov goal from a counterattack, but eight minutes from time young Gilbert Oliveira struck a great long-ranger perfectly which would give the Goans a point from this match.

AFC Cup: Salgaocar host Uzbek side FC Neftchi

I-League champions and Federation Cup winners Salgaocar SC will host their first-ever AFC Cup match later today against FC Neftchi from Uzbekistan. The Group D encounter will kick-off at 17.45 IST at the Nehru Stadium, Margao and it will be the first continental match at the Goan venue under lights in years.

The Uzbeks will be a tough opponent, who go into the tie as favourites but Karim Bencharifa and his men will surely try to upset the plans of FC Neftchi. Except new French signing Maxime Belouet everyone is fit and after their opening day loss at Al-Arouba in Muscat, Oman; Salgaocar's will look to keep the three points in Goa as otherwise qualification from the group would become difficult.

Karim said, "We are well prepared and we are looking forward to a good game, especially because we are playing at home."

"We are banking on good support from the home crowd and the fans will be coming here in big numbers. Ticket sales have picked up and we are expecting a big crowd, so we will use our home advantage to the fullest."

"Neftchi are a good side. We have seen some videos and we are hoping to fight well against them and we are hopeful of a win," Karim added.

Salgaocar are hoping for many fans to turn and support the team. There will be two categories for match ticket. The General category will cost Rs 30 and the VIP has been priced at Rs 100. From today onwards the ticket will be available at the GFA office in Panjim, the Nike showroom (Opp Big G in Margao), Tilak Maidan and Navjivan Medicals (both in Vasco).

AFC Under-19 Women's Cup: India to host qualifying group

The official draw for the AFC U-19 Women's Championship 2013 Qualifying Rounds 1 and 2 were conducted at AFC House in Kuala Lumpur today.

In the first round there are 12 participating nations. The eight participating Member Associations in the Central, South and West regions were drawn into two groups of four teams each, while the East/ASEAN zones already consist of Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Myanmar and the Philippines.

Group A would be host by India besides whom Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Bangladesh make-up the group. Group B consists of Jordan, Iran, Tajikistan and Palestine with Jordan playing hosts for this group with both the qualifying groups set to be played between October 19 to 27, 2012.

Each group shall play a one-round league, where each team in the group shall play one match against every other team and the top two teams from each group (total six teams) will proceed to Qualifying Round 2 which will be held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam between December 1-9, 2012. For Round 2, seventh-ranked Thailand have been drawn into Group A while Vietnam, ranked sixth, into Group B.


THE GROUPINGS

ROUND 1
Group A: India, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Bangladesh
Group B: Jordan, Iran, Tajikistan, Palestine
Group C: Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Myanmar, Philippines

ROUND 2
Group A: Thailand, Team Ranked 4, Team Ranked 5, Team Ranked 8
Group B: Vietnam, Team Ranked 3, Team Ranked 6, Team Ranked 7

India Under-19 lose to Uzbeks, qualification chances diminish

The India Under-19 boys suffered an unnecessary 1-2 defeat at the hands of Uzbekistan in their AFC Under-19 Championship qualifiers in Group C at the Takhti Stadium in Tehran. With Iran winning 4-0 against Turkmenistan it means that India's chances of progressing to the final round are down to a bare minimum and only a wonder could see our boys in next years finals.

It was an open game with India knowing that only a win would keep them in the fray to qualify. India started off in an attacking mode with Sumit Passi lobbing the ball over an onrushing rival goalkeeper Amanok Asilbek only to find it hitting the upright in the 11th minute. And then, six minutes later, Brandon Fernandes' free-kick from the top of the box agonisingly sailed over. But it was the Uzbek's who took a 32nd minute lead through Vladimir Kozak with India now having the chase to get back into the game.

Early after the break captain Holicharan Narzary had sneaked in between the two Uzbek central defenders into the box but delayed his shot that split second in putting it past the goalkeeper. India did get the equaliser on the hour mark when Pronay Halder headed the ball in, but in the 73rd minute Brandon Fernandes received his second booking of the day and was send off. Only a minute before the sending off Sumit Passi all in the clear volleyed over a Holicharan cross from the left and even thereafter India had their chances like in the 85th minute when two players failed to tap in a free-kick from substitute Malswamfela. In the end three minutes from time Vladimir Kozak won the game for Uzbekistan with his second of the day.

It was an unnecessary defeat for India, but it is something they will learn from this match. Sadly the experience at the bigger Asian stage is most likely to be missed by this bunch of boys, who have the talent but today lacked the finishing.


India Under-19: 23-Ravi Kumar; 6-Akashdeep Singh, 4-Bikramjit Singh, 3-Sonu, 14-Narayan Das; 20-Johnychand Singh, 9-Sehnaj Singh (55' 7-Prabir Das), 8-Pronay Halder, 12-Brandon Fernandes; 11-Holicharan Narzary [C] (82' 13-Malswamfela ), 10-Sumeet Passi
Unused Substitutes: 21-Albino Giovanni Gomes, 26-Mohammad Moniruzzaman Ansari, 2-Pawan Kumar, 5-Arijeet Singh, 15-Edwin Gosula, 16-Pritam Kotal, 17-Rajinder Kumar, 24-Sunny, 33-Tirthankar Sarkar

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

Rs 25,000 Cash Award for India U-16 Boys!

The India Under-16 boys after qualifying for the AFC Under-16 Championships next year have received a lot of praise from different quarters for their achievements in Tashkent. The U-16 boys beat Kyrgyzstan, Bahrain and Tajikistan to finish second behind hosts Uzbekistan, the only team which our boys lost.

The All India Football Federation has announced a Cash Prize of Rs. 25,000 each for the India Under-16 boys and the support staff who qualified for the AFC Under-16 Championship's Final Phase.

The AIFF President Praful Patel congratulated the boys and the Head Coach of Youth Development Colm Toal on this achievement. "There is clear indication that Indian football is moving ahead. We beat some of the best teams in Asia to qualify for the Final Phase," he said in a statement.

AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das also lauded the boys by saying, "I congratulate the boys and Colm Toal for the way he has been nurturing our Youth Development Teams, which is now yielding results. I am very optimistic that our current initiative with FIFA for setting up Regional and Elite Academies will go a long way in taking Indian football to the next level."

India U-16 suffer humiliating defeat against Uzbeks

The India Under-16 boys suffered a humiliating 0-9 loss against hosts Uzbekistan in the qualifiers for the AFC Under-16 Championship. The heavy defeat and Tajikistan's subsequent 2-0 win against Kyrgyzstan makes it a real contest to now qualify as India would have win to ensure their passage to the continental finals.

After a great start into the qualifiers with wins against Kyrgyzstan and Bahrain, the India juniors suffered one of their worst defeats in recent years and this could derail their passage to the finals.

India had a good start into the match, but they simply couldn't score with Shohjahon Abbasov giving the Uzbek's an 18th minute lead against the run of play, but a clear-cut hattrick from Mukhiddin Odilov with goals in the 25ht, 26th and 29th minute the match was over with Uzbekistan adding two more before the break through Ibrokhim Abdullaev (40') and Shohjahon Abbasov (45'). At the breather Uzbekistan was 6-0 ahead.

Post the break Uzbekistan didn't press as much, but still added three more goals. Shohjahon Abbasov would add two more in the 60th and 68th minute to complete his four goals, while Alisher Miravez scored in-between in the 67th minute. It ended 9-0 for the Uzbek's and brightened their chances of qualification.

"The worst fears came true," Coach Thomas Joseph commented. "Once we conceded, we were not able to control it."

"Uzbekistan are a very talented and a strong side. But we were nowhere near our potential. The last match is a must-win for us."

The biggest challenge for the Team Management and the boys is to shrug off the loss, pull themselves up and look ahead to the next match; and the faster, the better.

The boys, usually chirpy, didn’t utter a single word in the Dressing Room and on the Team Bus. The state of shock brought together a promise. "We have to win our last outing, and at any cost – and we can do it."


India
1-Supratim Bhattacharjee; 2-Myron Mendes, 4-Sajid Dhot, 5-Sarthak Golui, 6-Nabin Rabha (77' 11-Vanlalduatsanga); 22-Harmanjot Singh, 7-Nitin Jyal, 15-Lalramzuava [C] (67' 8-Germanpreet Singh), 27-Geremsha Basumatary (45' 3-Suman Saha), ; 9-Uttam Rai, 10-Daniel Lalhlimpuia

India U-16 Team announced, leaves for Qualifiers

The all India Football Federation has named a 23 player Under-16 national team for the AFC Under-16 Qualifiers in which our boys face hosts Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Bahrain and Kyrgyzstan in Group C.

The team leaves for Tashkent tomorrow to face tough opposition from Central Asia and a Middle Eastern side in Bahrain. The top two teams qualify for the final rounds.

The team have been practising at Conscient School at the Heritage School Ground in Gurgaon since September 14. Besides being appreciative about the practice facilities, Coach Thomas Joseph said, “We have a good team and we have practised hard for the event. Uzbekistan are the hosts and stay the strong contenders. I'd say we have a 50-50 chance.”


India Under-16s fixtures in Tashkent
October 1: India vs Kyrgyzstan (16.00 local) 16.30 IST
October 3: India vs Bahrain (16.00 local) 16.30 IST
October 5: Uzbekistan vs India (11.30 local) 12.00 IST
October 7: India vs Tajikistan (11.30 local) 12.00 IST


INDIA Under-16

Goalkeepers
Avinash Rao, Agaipal Singh, Supratim Bhattacharya

Defenders
Myron Mendes, Maiban Jimmy Singh, Suman Saha, Sajid Dhot, Sarthak Golui, Rahul S., Nabin Rabha, Gurba Gagri

Midfielders
Alen Deory, Harmanjot Singh, Nitin Jyal, Germanpreet Singh, K. Lalramzuava, Lalrammuana, Raja Rawat, Geremsha Basumatary

Forwards
Kamalpreet Singh, Daniel Lalhimpuia, Laldantsanga, Uttam Rai

Officials
Thomas Joseph (Coach), Chalil Melay Renjith (Coach-cum-Manager), Bitan Singh (Assistant Coach), Auguiar Luis Mario (Goalkeeping Coach), Sampath Babu (Physio)

Qatar: Asian Cup as World Cup trial

The 2011 AFC Asian Cup started last night. Qatar lost 0-2 against Uzbekistan, but as a nation they are ready to host though the country is one big construction site and it will get even more over the next decade. The capital Doha is decorated in the tournament colours, draped in flags of participation nations, while at night there are fabulous lighting displays across town highlighting the tournament.

One can feel that the importance of the tournament for the Qataris has grown since being awarded the 2022 FIFA World Cup with the signage of the bidding campaign still visible across the city.

And with now bigger international media attention on the tiny Gulf state, the organisers are doing whatever they can to please their foreign guests. And those guests be it from the football industry or the media are liking what they are seeing.

Italian Nicola Antognetti, who works in the football business and travels for that around the world, told us about his experiences in Doha over the last decade, "It's not changing as much as you would think – not as much as Dubai – but I think they are just taking things a bit more slowly, with more strategy behind. It's a great place."

While Australian journalist Scott Macintyre is back in Doha after 18 months and is seeing massive changes, "The landscape and the skyline are changing almost constantly and I'm sure there will be more positive signs in the build-up to 2022."

First time visitors like myself are often saying they expected Qatar to be more advanced, but it isn't a copy of Dubai which I feel is good. The city has its own charms and has character, which I feel is very important.

The beautiful Khalifa Stadium hosted a great opening ceremony and more then 37,000 spectators turned up but after conceding the first goal the people started going home.