New Delhi: The India U20 men’s football team registered a comfortable 3-0 victory over Singapore in the first of two closed-door international friendlies at the Centre for Sports Excellence in Bengaluru on Monday.
Rishi Singh Ningthoukhongjam put the hosts ahead in first-half stoppage time (45+2′), while Singamayum Shami doubled the lead in the 63rd minute. Singapore’s misery was compounded by an own goal in the 83rd minute, sealing India’s convincing win.
The two sides will face each other once again in the second friendly on Thursday.
The matches are part of India’s preparations for the AFC U20 Asian Cup China 2027 Qualifiers, scheduled to be held in Uzbekistan from August 31 to September 6.
Head coach Mahesh Gawali has selected his squad for the two friendlies from a pool of 30 players.
The group was shortlisted from 102 players who took part in nationwide trials before the national camp began. After assessing their performances, Gawali finalised a 26-member training squad for the U20 men’s national team.
Fifteen players have been temporarily released from the camp following requests from their respective clubs to participate in the Reliance Foundation Development League (RFDL) Japan Tour. The contingent includes eight players from Punjab FC, six from Bengaluru FC and one from FC Goa. They are expected to rejoin the national camp after returning from Japan next week.
The coaching staff will continue evaluating the players before announcing the preliminary squad for the AFC U20 Asian Cup Qualifiers.
India and Singapore have met twice before in official U20 competitions, with the Blue Colts emerging victorious on both occasions in the AFC Youth Championship. India won 4-1 in 1966 before defeating Singapore in a penalty shootout during the quarter-finals of their title-winning campaign in 1974.
The two teams also played two U19 international friendlies in Goa in 2017. India won the opening match 7-2, while Singapore bounced back to claim the second fixture 1-0.
In the AFC U20 Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers, India will take on Syria on August 31, hosts Uzbekistan on September 3 and Bangladesh on September 6 in Tashkent.