Photo Credit: AIFF

The Indian Under-16 national team emerged as champions of the Four-Nation Tournament after they defeated Tajikistan 4-2 on Sunday in Serbia.

The tournament, which commenced on May 9^th, featured India taking on the likes of Serbia, Jordan and Tajikistan. The U-16 colts had started on a perfect note when they came from behind to defeat Jordan in what turned out to be a truly enticing encounter. The victory was followed by a goalless draw to the hosts in their next match.

In the final match against Tajikistan, India needed a victory to be crowned as champions of the tournament. The game got off to a frantic start as a total of five goals were scored in the first 15 minutes. The young Indian side opened the scoring as early as the 5^th minute. Gibson’s chip evaded the Tajikistan custodian to find the back of the net. A couple of minutes later, Sailo doubled the lead for India after a scramble inside the penalty box. Things went from bad to worse for Tajikistan after India tripled their lead through Shabaj in the 9^th minute.

The goal fest continued a few minutes later when Tajikistan pulled a goal back from the penalty spot. They then reduced to deficit to just one goal in the 15^th minute. India held their lead for the rest for the half before sealing the tie in the 66^th minute through Rohit Danu.

The champions finished the tournament on a high, going undefeated and registering a total of seven points out of a possible nine.