Revenge on mind as India face Nepal

PTI

Colombo, September 13

Focused on learning from its mistakes, the Indian football team will take on Nepal in the SAFF U-17 Championship final here tomorrow.

The Indian camp exuded confidence on the eve of the match.

“We started the tournament well. But it was a nervy start nonetheless. This is the first tournament that the boys are playing for the country, and that can always give you a few jitters,” said head coach Bibiano Fernandes.

“The result against Nepal was a wake-up call for us. The boys reacted extremely well after the setback. We have identified and worked on our weaknesses. I need to credit the boys for taking up this challenge,” he added.

The blue colts had started their campaign with a victory against Bhutan but suffered a 1-3 loss at the hands of Nepal in their second group stage game before turning their fortunes around with a 2-1 victory over Bangladesh in the semifinals.

While Bibiano spoke about eliminating the mistakes, the players are looking forward to redeeming themselves after the loss to Nepal.

“We were terribly upset after the loss to Nepal. We wanted a rematch, and it is our chance to prove ourselves in the final,” said captain Vanlalpeka Guite. “We are completely focused.” — PTI

Blue Tigresses lose to Bangladesh

Kathmandu: The Indian women’s team suffered a 0-3 loss at the hands of Bangladesh in its third and final group match of the SAFF Women’s Championship here today. MS Jahan Shopna netted a brace for Bangladesh, while Srimoti Sarkar got one to her name, to hand the defeat to India. However, the defeat had no impact on India’s semifinals qualification, as they had already booked their spot in the last-four stage, where they are set to take on Nepal on Saturday.

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