New Delhi: Indian U16 football team have clinched a historic victory over current Asian U16 champions Iraq in the ongoing West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) under sixteen Championship.
The team thrashed the opposition side 1-0 to register the first-ever win for any Indian football team against Iraq in any format and among all age groups.
The Indian team, which were dominant throughout the match, scored in the last few minutes to provide a perfect finish to the game.
Reflecting on the win, Indian coach Bibiano Fernandes said that team’s performance in the previous matches kept him confident and he was sure of team’s victory.
“Even though there have been some changes in the Iraqi side team from the side we played at the AFC Qualifiers in Nepal, it’s always difficult to play them because of physicality. However, the performance in the previous matches kept us all confident and I knew my boys would give everything to win this match,” Fernandes said.
“I knew we were getting close to scoring. I just had to tell the boys not to give up till the end and to stick to the plan till the final whistle. It eventually paid dividends,” he added.
Talking about the future goal of the team, Fernandes said that they are now aiming at AFC U-16 Championship and hoped that players stay away from any kind of injury.
ANI