Smarting from a heartbreaking loss to Iran, the Indian team faces hosts Laos in a must-win game in the AFC U20 Asian Cup Qualifiers here on Sunday, in order to make it to the main tournament.
The last time they played in the AFC U20 Asian Cup final rounds (formerly known as the AFC Youth Championship and the AFC U19 Championship) was back in 2006 when they hosted the tournament.
For successful qualification campaigns, one would have to go even further back – to 2004 when Turkmenistan's withdrawal from the tournament meant that India, who had finished second in qualification Group H, got the chance to compete, or back to 2002, when they topped their qualifying group to make it to the final rounds.
India are also the former champions of the Asian Youth Championship; they shared the trophy with Iran in Bangkok in 1974 after a 2-2 stalemate in the final. But much water has flown under the bridge since then.
Football in the continent has undergone a sea change in six decades.
India currently stand second in Group G behind Iran. The top team from each qualification group and the five best second-placed finishers from the 10 groups will qualify for the AFC U20 Asian Cup China 2025.
While the Blue Colts put in a sturdy performance against the four-time champions Iran on Friday, an 88th-minute goal left India heartbroken.
There is no room for dwelling on such a defeat, however, as qualification is within their grasp.
India head coach Ranjan Chaudhuri was full of praise for his wards.
"Our boys played a tremendous game against one of the best sides in Asia. They did everything correctly, and executed all the plans to perfection, but when you play a top side like Iran, one small chance could be all it takes for them to make a difference.
"But this is not the end for us. We have one last game against Laos, and a win will put us in a great position to qualify. We must think ahead," said Chaudhuri.
Hosts Laos, on the other hand, have bounced back from their 0-8 defeat at the hands of Iran and posted a 6-0 victory against Mongolia on Friday night.
While India are still ahead of them in terms of goal difference, Chaudhuri is all too aware of how important it is to get the three points against the hosts.
"The Laos game is crucial for us. They are the hosts, and the match is on a Sunday, so I am sure they will have good support from the stands," he said.
"I am not thinking much about the permutations and combinations at this point. First and foremost, we need to win and then take it on from there." Laos U20 head coach Jung Jae-kwon also spoke about the home advantage, pinning his side's hopes on encouragement from the stands.
"This is our home, so I expect a good amount of support for us. We know India are a very good team, and we have to be at our best to beat them," said Korean Jae-kwon.
PTI
