Looking back at when India met Vanuatu at U-19 level

The sole meeting between the two nations came back in the 2019 OFC Developmental Tournament.

Vanuatu, a nation from the Oceania region with a population that just exceeds three lakhs, will be one of the four participants of the Hero Intercontinental Cup that kicked off in Odisha.

The Intercontinental Cup was introduced in 2018 as a replacement for the Nehru Cup, and follows the same four-nation format and tentative strength of opposition that defined the latter. This time around, in addition to India, the participating nations are Lebanon, Vanuatu, and Mongolia. Vanuatu lost out to Lebanon at the Kalinga Stadium in the tournament's first match. 

As all teams face each other once in the group phase, India too will play Vanuatu - in what will be the first encounter between the two teams if you exclude the sole clash between the nations’ footballing teams which happened at the U-19 level in 2019.

The two sides met in the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) Developmental Tournament and the game was played at Port Villa in Vanuatu. While the Blue Tigers will line up with a significantly different side this time around, the 2019 starting XI featured several familiar faces.

India U19’s Starting XI with familiar faces

Prabhsukhan Gill (GK)(C); Thoiba, Bikash Yumnam, Md. Rafi, Sumit Rathi; Jitendra Singh, Ricky Shabong, Ninthoi, Vikram Partap, Givson; Aman Chetri.

The Indian boys, under Floyd Pinto, were largely dominating the game but without a goal to show for it. The deadlock was finally broken in the 78th minute by former ISL emerging player of the year and Mohun Bagan Super Giant player, Sumit Rathi.

Givson found Ninthoi in a short corner, and after a string of passes, Sumit received the ball and got the better of his marker to slot in the winner. Vanuatu pushed for an equaliser but in vain.

Four years later now, the two countries will go head to head on 12th June in what will be both sides’ second match of the group phase, in the 2023 Hero Intercontinental Cup.