Welcome to another edition of the Indian football news roundup. Today, we will talk about the Indian U-16 football team holding the UAE U-16s despite dominating the match, East Bengal pipping Indian Arrows in a 10-men affair, Mohun Bagan’s new head coach, the 2019 AFC Asian Cup organizers employing an unusual trick to generate more audience, and Gokulam FC’s new signing in the latest transfer buzz.
In case you missed out the previous edition of Indian football news roundup, you can check it out here.
Indian U-16 Football Team News: Blue Colts draw with UAE U-16 in their own den
The Indian U-16 football team played out a 3-3 draw with the UAE U-16 team at the UAE FA ground in Dubai. The match is a part of an exposure tour the boys are on and will later face the Saudi Arabia U-16 team and the UAE U-16 team again in a tri-nation tournament on 12th and 15th January. The All India Football Federation is also trying to organize friendlies with the U-16 teams of various local clubs.
Thlacheu Vanlalruatfela gave the Blue Colts the lead through a penalty in the first half before the visitors equalized a few minutes later. Lalrampuana Pautu and Shailesh Patre scored in either side of the half-time break to give India a two-goal cushion, however, they failed to hold on to it till the final whistle. The UAE U-16 team scored twice in stoppage time to ensure the final scoreline read 3-3.
I-League Live Score: East Bengal survive Indian Arrows’ scare
East Bengal survived the young and vibrant Indian Arrows’ scare as they walked away with a 2-1 win at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. This win takes the Kolkata club to the fourth position in the points table, ahead of Churchill Brothers on a head-to-head count, with 19 points from 10 matches.
Laldanmawia Ralte drew first blood for East Bengal in the 26th minute after connecting Jaime Santos’ cross from the left flank. Lalramchullova was shown the red card in the 56th minute as he headbutted KP Rahul in front of the referee. Despite being a man down, East Bengal showed no signs of slowing down and took the lead eight minutes later.
Debutant Toni Dovale, playing in a typical #10 role, cut through the Indian Arrows defense with a deft long ball that reached Samad Ali inside the box. Prabhsukhan Singh saved the initial shot, but the rebound fell into the path of Joby Justin who made no mistake in slotting the ball in the back of the net.
Aniket Jadhav, too, was given the marching orders in the 82nd minute for getting two consecutive yellow cards within a span of two minutes. Ninthoingamba Meetei did score a late goal in the 90th minute from a penalty, but it turned out to be a mere consolation as the final scoreline read 2-1 in the favor of East Bengal.
Mohun Bagan: Khalid Jamil appointed as the new head coach after Shankarlal Chakraborty steps down
The Mohun Bagan management has appointed former East Bengal coach Khalid Jamil as their new head coach after Shankarlal Chakraborty made his intention clear that he would like to step down following the clubs’ embarrassing defeat through the hands of Real Kashmir.
Khalid Jamil’s first task in hand would be to churn out three points against defending champions Minerva Punjab on 9th January. Mohun Bagan is currently lying in the sixth spot in the table, accumulating 15 points from 11 matches. Their title hopes are all, but over, as they are four points behind their arch-rivals and fifth-placed East Bengal and nine points behind Chennai City FC, having played the same number of matches.
The Kuwaiti-born Indian international should aim for a top three finish with his side.
2019 AFC Asian Cup: Tournament organizers to distribute 5000 free tickets to ensure UAE get ample support against India
To ensure that the hosts, UAE, receive ample support in their match against India, the tournament organizers have taken it upon themselves to distribute free 5000 tickets in the matchday.
Ostensibly, the tickets will only be distributed to local Emirati fans in the “home” section as they fear that the Indians living in the Gulf country will shower full support and outnumber the UAE fans, creating an atmosphere of an away game in their home venue.
Gokulam FC Transfer News: The Malabarians release Joel Sunday and sign in Trinidad & Tobago striker Marcus Joseph
According to Goal.com, Gokulam FC has released Joel Sunday from their contract and signed Trinidad & Tobago international striker Marcus Joseph for the remainder of the season. Marcus Joseph is a regular for the Trinidad & Tobago senior team, having represented the Carribean nation in the U-17 and U-20 FIFA World Cup.
It would be interesting to see what Marcus brings to the table as the Malabarians are sitting ninth on the table, behind Indian Arrows on a head to head count, with 10 points from 11 matches.
