Vikram Pratap Singh's hat-trick powers India U-16s to win in WAFF opener

Bekey Oram scored the other goal for the Blue Colts against hosts Jordan.

There were goals galore for India as they registered a superb 4-0 victory over the hosts Jordan in their opening fixture of the 5th WAFF U-16 Championship at the King Abdullah II Stadium in Jordan today (August 1, 2018). India had to wait until the 43rd minute when Vikram Singh opened the scoring. later, the skipper added another two quick goals (61', 73') within 12 minutes to complete his hat-trick before Bekey Oram (84') nailed the final one in the coffin.

After registering a narrow 2-1 victory over Malaysia at their home in the final match of the 2-match series, the Indian U-16 contingent flew to Amman in Jordan to take part in the 5th WAFF U-16 Championship alongside Iraq, Japan, Yemen and hosts Jordan. 

Watch full match

The match started at a slow pace while both the teams hooked on to a 'safety-first' approach and no one could garner a clear chance to get the lead. Givson, who generally operates as the distributor in the middle, floated a looping ball from the left wing for Vikram in the 13th minute but the Jordanian goalkeeper came out of his position to clear it away. 

Finally, Captain Vikram Singh broke the deadlock two minutes to the half-time whistle from inside the 6-yard box. India earned a free-kick at an acute angle following a harsh challenge on Bekey Oram. As Givson ran a dummy, Vikram opted to take a short free-kick to Ridge who passed it onto Rohit Danu. The forward outfoxed the Jordanian defender to unleash a low delivery for Vikram who did no mistake to rattle the back of the net. 

India headed to the dressing room with a 1-0 lead, thanks to the superb strike late in the first-half. After the changeover, the game sprang into life when Niraj made two valiant efforts to put the hosts away from scoring the equaliser in the 54th minute. While they appealed for a penalty following Niraj's second save in the process, the referee paid no heed at all. 

ALSO READ

Stephen Constantine is expecting India to register upsets at the AFC Asia Cup 2019

Khel Now Impact: IFA does dramatic U-turn, set to allow digital media accreditation for CFL

ATK rope in former Mumbai City star Gerson Vieira

Just after the clock crossed the hour-mark, Vikram doubled the lead from another brilliantly-crafted work by Bekey. The stocky midfielder outpaced the defender down the left flank and put it forward for Danu who eventually, was left unmarked by the defenders. The resultant pass from Danu was calmly tapped home by Vikram to leave the hosts aghast. 

Having seated firmly at the top, India opted to press more to secure a handsome victory in their tournament opener. In the 73rd minute, Rohit pressed the Jordan goalkeeper hard who ended up passing the ball to Givson at the edge of the box. He delivered a looping ball to Vikram who was left unmarked once again. The skipper blasted the back of the net to complete his hat-trick. 

Gaffer introduced a couple of fresh pair of legs in form of Ravi Bahadur Rana and Sailo in the 75th minute at the expenses of the show-stoppers Vikram and Givson. The duo played a crucial role in building up the fourth goal of the night which was converted exquisitely by Bekey Oram in the 84th minute. 

[KH_RELATED_NEWS title="Related News"][/KH_RELATED_NEWS]

India maintained to hold the lead until the final whistle to leave the ground with all three points in the opening fixture. They will face Japan next on August 3, 2018. 

India U16 Team: Niraj Kumar (GK), Thoiba Singh, Harpreet Singh, Shabas Ahammed, Manish Chaudhary, Bekey Oram 84', Ridge Melvin (Harpreet 86'), Givson Singh (Sailo 75'), Ricky John, Vikram Singh (C) (43', 61', 73') (Ravi Bahadur Rana 75'), Rohit Danu.