AFC U17 Asian Cup Qualifiers: Lessons learnt from India's draw against Palestine

Shubham Poonia scored the goal for India.

The Indian U17 team failed to start their campaign in the AFC U17 Asian Cup Qualifiers with a win against Palestine. The Blue Colts were held to a 1-1 draw at the EKA Arena in Ahmedabad on Saturday. Both teams shared the spoils and got off the mark on the points table with one point each.

India drew first blood as Shubham Poonia headed the hosts to a lead moments before the first half ended. However, the hosts could not extend their lead, allowing Palestine to make a comeback. In the 74th minute, Palestine equalised to manage a draw.

Conversion is key

One of the striking aspects of the game was India’s inability to convert multiple chances that they created throughout the match. Bibiano Fernandes’ boys showed their brilliance, but those moments of brilliance could not produce goals galore for India.

There were multiple attacking moves that caught Palestine napping, but the poor decision-making in front of the goal tied India’s hands. The Blue Colts failed to put the game to bed when they could. This lack of sharpness in the final third cost the hosts two valuable points.

Also Read: AFC U17 Asian Cup Qualifiers: Resilient effort from India’s custodian, wasteful Blue Colts, and other talking points

Goalkeeper should not be the best performer

If the goalkeeper is the best player on the day, then the team must rethink. Because a goalkeeper can only shine when the team has failed to do the job, and India appeared to be second second-best team on several occasions.

India’s 16-year-old Rajrup Sarkar had a brilliant outing between the posts. He made some impressive saves that bailed India out of critical situations. A lot of credit for this draw should be attributed to him. However, Bibiano Fernandes would be aware that his team missed the trick today, which allowed Palestine to test Rajrup Sarkar’s shot-saving abilities. The Blue Colts cannot afford to have their goalkeeper as one of the best performers if they want to qualify for the AFC U17 Asian Cup.

Short on temperament

In the last few months, we have often seen the Blue Colts dropping their guard in the later stages of the game. India made the same error against Palestine on Saturday. The hosts lacked the mental fortitude to withstand the pressure from Palestine and conceded in the 74th minute.

The young unit will have to work on its temperament if it aspires to achieve laurels in international football. There will be times when the opposition will dictate terms, but these boys will have to see out that phase of the game. Against teams like Iran, this trait becomes more pertinent, and Bibiano Fernandes will want to see progress in this aspect of the game.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.