A buoyant Indian football team will take on Nepal in the semi-finals of the SAFF U17 Championship here on Saturday, hoping to continue its good run of form in the continental age-group tournament.
The Blue Colts eased into the last four as Group A table toppers after beating Bangladesh (1-0) and Maldives (3-0).
Nepal, on the other hand, sneaked into the semi-finals, thanks to a late winner against Bhutan in their last group match, which lifted them to second place in Group B behind Pakistan, who will face Bangladesh in the second semi-finals later on Saturday.
India have had ample rest between their matches so far, including three full days to prepare for their semi-finals.
Head coach Ishfaq Ahmed stated that the rest days for players are more about recovery and staying injury-free.
“This rest is about recovering because we are playing on artificial turf. It’s not easy to play and train on turf everyday. It has its negative impacts also. We’ve been training mostly to recover our boys.
“It has been raining here everyday and we are stuck inside the hotel. Sometimes that can be a good thing because you spend a lot of time with each other and that helps. The best part is that there are no injuries and I am very thankful to God that all players are available for selection,” said Ahmed. India got the better of Nepal 1-0 in the group stage of last year’s SAFF U16 Championship, with Md Arbash scoring the lone goal in the first half.
Nepal exited the tournament without scoring a goal 12 months ago, but have looked an improved side this time around.
Sujan Dangol will be one to mark for the Indian backline as the Nepalese striker is the competition top-scorer with four goals, including a hat-trick against Sri Lanka and the all-important match winner against Bhutan.
“I rate Nepal as a good side. They are not afraid of playing. They have done quite well, coming from 0-1 down, showing character and beating the hosts,” said Ahmed.
“Since it’s a knockout match, you have to take your chances. In both matches so far, we created a lot of chances but failed to make the most of them. Whether it was a good save by the goalkeeper or a missed shot, it doesn’t matter. We need to convert our ball possession into goals.
“If we get an early goal against them, it will be a little bit easier for us. We wouldn’t want the match to stretch because then you have to keep one eye on the defence as well,” Ahmed added.
