The Indian U17 men’s team suffered a 1-5 loss against the United Arab Emirates in a closed-door friendly at the Windmill Football Club in Samut Prakan, Thailand. The UAE scored in the third, sixth, 13th, 22nd, and 52nd minutes, with Dallalmuon Gangte netting a goal for India in the 89th minute.
These friendlies were part of the preparations for the AFC U17 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026 for both India and the UAE. India will engage in two more friendlies against Qatar on April 25 and 28 in Doha before the Asian Cup.
In the upcoming AFC U17 Asian Cup in Jeddah, India is scheduled to face Australia on May 6, Uzbekistan on May 10, and DPR Korea on May 13 in Group D. The matches will be played behind closed doors at the Windmill Football Club in Samut Prakan, near Bangkok, with a 16:30 IST kickoff time. The 24-member Blue Colts’ squad arrived in Thailand on April 15 for the fixtures.
Previously, Bibiano Fernandes’ team played friendlies against Thailand (2-2), Indonesia (3-0 win), and the Republic of Korea (1-2 defeat) in Lopburi, Thailand. Following these matches, the Blue Colts continued their training camp in Kolkata.
