India thrashed 5-0 by Saudi Arabia in AFC U-19 Championship qualifier

India were handed a 5-0 thrashing by Saudi Arabia in their opening match of the AFC U-19 Championship qualifying stage

Published on: Nov 4, 2017, 23:58:19 IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By HT Correspondent

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A lacklustre show from India saw them go down 5-0 at the hands of Saudi Arabia in their opening game of the AFC U-19 Championship qualifying stage at the Prince Mohammad bin Fahad Stadium in Dammam, Saudi Arabia on Saturday.

India were thrashed 5-0 by Saudi Arabia in an AFC U-19 Championship qualifier. (AIFF)

Abdullah Alhamaddan gave Saudi Arabia the lead in the 15th minute, but the hosts failed to add to the score in the rest of the opening half despite a thoroughly dominant performance.

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The Indian team, which consists of players from the national side that played at the recently held FIFA U-17 World Cup, finally succumbed to the pressure in the second half, as the Saudis pumped in four more goals. Feras Albrikan doubled the team’s lead in the 50th minute before Al-Shahrani scored the team’s third 25 minutes later.

Al Brikan then scored two goals in the final ten minutes to round off an easy 5-0 win for his side.

Luis Norton de Matos-coached India will next take on Yemen at the same venue on Monday.

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