U17 Asian Cup qualifiers: India edge Turkmenistan to notch up second consecutive win

Chonburi (Thailand), Oct 25 (IANS) The India U17 men's team won its second game on the trot in Group D of the AFC Under-17 Asian Cup 2025 Qualifiers, beating Turkmenistan 1-0 at the Chonburi Stadium here on Friday. The lone goal, scored by Rishi Singh, came at the edge of half-time. India now have six points from two matches and will play hosts Thailand in their concluding group tie on Sunday. 

India picked up from where they left off in the 13-0 win over Brunei Darussalam, confidence oozing through their veins and good form evident in their play. In the sixth minute, Mohammed Kaif had the first shot, a long-range effort that went off target.

Two minutes later came a clear-cut chance to take the lead, when Levis Zangminlun dribbled in from the left and released Hemneichung Lunkim inside the box. The forward drove in, opened his body, and tried to curl a shot into the far corner, but it drifted harmlessly wide.

As Turkmenistan packed the defensive third, India were forced into taking shots from a distance or pinging crosses into the box and hoping to catch an inrushing forward's head. In the 35th minute, the tactic seemed to have resulted in a goal when the goalkeeper spilt Zangminlun's long-range effort into Lunkim's path. The forward duly converted but was adjudged offside.

India's goal finally arrived in the 44th minute and it was eerily similar to many chances they had thrown away earlier in the half. It was Lunkim this time whose long-range effort started the tumble. The power of the shot was such that the goalkeeper could little more than parry it into an onrushing Rishi Singh's path. The midfielder hit his first-time effort hard and true to give the Blue Colts the lead at the break.

Turkmenistan upped the tempo in the second half and were actually the aggressors for the early minutes of the half. In the 52nd minute, India goalkeeper Suraj Singh was forced into his first save comfortably gathering from Muhammedaly Nasyrov's shot.

India had the ball in the net for a third time in the 69th minute, only to see it disallowed again for offside. Lunkim and Arbash combined before the latter finished into the corner. The assistant referee had called Vishal Yadav offside on the basis that he had interfered with play from an offside position after Arbash shot the ball.

India were firmly on the front foot for the game and held their opponents at an arm's distance throughout, threatening a second even if never quite displaying the composure in the final third to deliver it. Azlaan Shah and Manbhakupar Malngiang saw a couple of decent chances to extend the lead go begging.

India will face Thailand in their third and final group match at 18:30 IST on Sunday.

--IANS

ab/bsk/