India face Sri Lanka in campaign opener
DHAKA: The India men’s national football team, comprising of under-23 players with the exception of forward Sumeet Passi, is set to begin its 2018 South Asian Football Federation ( SAFF) Championship campaign against Sri Lanka at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka on Wednesday.
The tournament which began on Tuesday saw Pakistan beat Nepal 2-1 in the opening game. Returning from a three-year international exile, Pakistan clinched a last-gasp victory courtesy of a Muhammad Ali winner in the dying seconds. Hosts Bangladesh defeated Bhutan 2-0 in the second game of the day.
India, seven times champions of the sub-continental tournament, have sent a second-string side which will be captained by newly-signed Mumbai City defender Subhasish Bose.
The team had travelled to Australia and had camped there for 17 days in preparation for the event. During that period, India played three friendlies, defeating the U-20 side of APIA Leichhardt Tigers, a club that plays in the New South Wales provincial league, 3-1, before losing 0-3 to A-league outfit Sydney AFC. They ended the tour with a 4-0 win over Rydalmere Lions, the 2017 champions of a third tier provincial league in New South Wales.
“We’re coming from a very effective camp in Australia. As we have spoken before we had three very different sorts of game and our boys worked hard to make a point there,” head coach Stephen Constantine said.
“Facing some of the good sides in this tournament would be a real challenge,” he added. India, placed in Group B, have an easier route to a potential semi-final spot as they have to play only two games in the group stage, the second being against Maldives on September 9. In Group A, Nepal, Bhutan and Pakistan have been put alongside Bangladesh.
The semi-finals will be held on September 12 while the final will take place three days later. India had earlier won the SAFF title while fielding its U-23 side in 2009.
SQUAD: Goalkeepers: Vishal Kaith, Kamaljit Singh, Sukhdev Patil; Defenders: Davinder Singh, Salam Ranjan Singh, Sarthak Golui, Subhasish Bose, Mohd. Sajid Dhot, Jerry Lalrinzuala; Midfielders: Nikhil Poojary, Vinit Rai, Germanpreet Singh, Anirudh Thapa, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Ashique Kuruniyan, Vignesh D; Forwards: Sumit Passi, Hitesh Sharma, Manvir Singh, Farukh Choudhary