A profligate India finished their campaign in the AFC Under-19 qualifiers in the third place after a 1-2 defeat against Pakistan in Tehran.
Indian
boys found hard to adjust to the slushy ground conditions in the first
half while Pakistan adjusted better and rode on a brace from
Billwal-ur-Rehman to beat India at Takhti stadium.
India finished with three points from four matches.
Bilawal
scored his first when he headed it home in the 32nd minute, and then in
the 43rd minute, he scored off a direct free-kick from outside the box.
Changing over, India pulled one back in the 55th minute when Johnnychand Singh blasted home an Anto Xavier cross from the left.
The
Indians pressed hard thereafter but stayed guilty of muffing from close
on three occasions Pronoy Halder, Holicharan Narzary and Johnnychand
failing to place it in with the rival goalkeeper Saqib Hanif at their
mercy.
Overall,
the discipline in defence and midfield which had made India stand out
among all teams stayed missing in the first half and Pakistan were fast
to capitalise.
Earlier,
it snowed since the wee hours and there was some four inches of snow in
the hotel premises when everyone peeped out of their windows prior to
breakfast.
And
when the team left for the Takhti Stadium at 1pm, the snow had grown to
six inches, if not more. Everything around was white.
Some
25 kms away, there wasnt any trace of white at the Stadium. Instead of
snowflakes there were raindrops. It drizzled, and drizzled heavily all
throughout.
The temperature was just above one degree and even with the gloves on, it was freezing.
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