A valiant team India went down fighting 0-1 against South Korea in the quarter-finals of the AFC U-16 Championship at the Petaling Jaya Stadium in Malaysia on Monday
Jeong Sangbin's strike in the 67th minute ensured South Korea the victory and a place in the 2019 U17 World Cup that will be held in Peru.
Team India captain Sunil Chhetri and goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh lauded the Indian colts' efforts, pointing out their valiant effort in the hard-fought encounter.
"No shame in going down with a fight. I am proud of the way you boys played, the courage you displayed and for the hope you have left us with. I am a fan and you boys motivate me as well. Chin up," Chheri wrote on Twitter.
Gupreeet said: "I'll tell you what, 10 years ago we played South Korea (U-16) that was a completely different game and watching this game after a decade, i see the difference and it is such a proud feeling to watch these boys making it difficult for one of the best youth teams in Asia!"
In 2002, India had lost 1-3 to the same opponents at the same stage of the championship. However, India on this day fought hard and did not surrender until the final whistle.
The opponents dominated possession from the start but confident defending with organization held them at bay for some time.
Compact defending with numbers further frustrated the opponents, who had scored twelve goals in the tournament before coming into this encounter.
The Indian side that made it to the quarterfinals for the first time in sixteen years had progressed out of the group stages as runners-up of Group C, with five points in three matches but even after giving South Korea a tough challenge and stretching them to the limit, could not emerge victors.
Goalkeeper Niraj Kumar shines
In the 14th minute, Niraj Kumar made an excellent save to deny South Korea from close range.
He then made two back-to-back saves in the 34th and 36th minutes to keep India in play as his dives saw the Korean shots from distance thwarted.
India defended deep in the first half and pressured the opponents to give away the ball in the defending third.
In the dying embers of the first half, Ravi Rana's shot from distance forced the Korean custodian to make a decent save as both teams went into the tunnel on level pegging as the half-time scoreline read 0-0.
Changing over, India emerged with much vigour and almost caught the Korean defence napping in the 52nd minute when Ridge De'Mello's first-time volley earned a decent save from the opposition custodian after Vikram had found him just inches outside the box.
Two minutes later, South Korea almost gave India a scare when a free-kick attempt rattled the Indian bar and went out of play.
In the 64th minute, Niraj Kumar once more made a fantastic diving save to deny the Koreans from close range.
After 337 minutes without conceding a goal, the Indian defence finally gave way in the 67th minute when Jeong Sangbin tapped from close range after Niraj Kumar had palmed a venomous shot away.
Spurred to find the equalizer, the Indian colts initiated attacks of their own but the Korean defence line held firm.
Vikram Partap proved to be a threat down the flanks but for all his possession around the box, could not create a clear goal scoring opportunity.
(With IANS inputs)
