Continuing their triumphant journey across Europe, the Indian U-17 men’s football team secured a resounding 6-1 triumph over SSV Reutlingen U-16 in a training match held in Reutlingen, Germany, on Saturday.
This encounter marked India U-17’s second friendly fixture in Germany. Previously, the Blue Colts faced a U-16/19 mixed team from the renowned German club VfB Stuttgart, succumbing to a 1-3 defeat on Wednesday. Under the guidance of coach Bibiano Fernandes, the team arrived in Germany after a series of preparatory matches in Spain.
Right from the start, the Indian U-17 team displayed their dominance, seizing the lead in the 24th minute when Rohen Singh capitalized on a well-placed through ball from Prachit Gaonkar, finding the back of the net.
However, Reutlingen managed to equalize through Eimen Zalloumi merely ten minutes later. The parity was short-lived, though, as Shashwat Panwar, who also scored in the previous match against Stuttgart, skillfully regained the lead for India with an impressive display of footwork in the 37th minute.
The second half commenced with Bibiano’s squad exhibiting even greater strength. In the 52nd minute, Lemmet Tangvah, who had narrowly missed a header from a Gogocha Chungkham cross moments earlier, converted a delivery from Rohen, securing India’s third goal and extending their advantage to 3-1. Goalkeeper Pranav Sundarraman also made notable saves, denying shots from Jamie-Noah Demir and Ralf Raab to maintain India’s lead.
The Blue Colts intensified their pressure in the final 15 minutes of the game. Firstly, substitute Thanglalsoun Gangte set up Gogocha, who skillfully added a fourth goal to India’s tally. Gogocha, in turn, became the provider for another substitute, Omang, enabling India to secure their fifth goal.
The sixth and final goal arrived in the 87th minute when Faizan Waheed was brought down by Laurin Assassa in the Reutlingen box. Gangte coolly converted the resulting penalty, further solidifying India’s commanding 6-1 victory.
The Blue Colts are currently gearing up for the final rounds of the AFC U-17 Asian Cup, scheduled to take place in Thailand next month. Placed in Group D, their upcoming matches will be against Vietnam (June 17), Uzbekistan (June 20), and Japan (June 23), to be played in Pathum Thani and Bangkok. (Edited)
