India lose 0-4 against Syria in AFC U-23 Championship

Dhaka, March 29: India lost their second consecutive match in the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) Under-23 Championship, going down 0-4 against Syria in a Group E match at the Bangabandhu Stadium here on Sunday.

A brace each from Mahmoud Almawas and Omar Kharbin condemned the Indians to a bruising loss.

To add insult to injury, defender Shankar Sampingraj was sent off in the 73rd minute for a second bookable offence. India had already conceded four goals by then.

“Syria were very strong opponents. They were too good. Playing consecutive matches at 3 p.m. had a toll on the boys. Furthermore, Shankar was sent off and matters worsened for us,” India coach Savio Medeira said after the match.

“We had a specific strategy to scuttle the flow of movement down the flanks but somehow it didn’t click.”

India take on hosts Bangladesh in their next group league encounter on Tuesday.

India lagged right from the start and after conceding their first goal in the 15th minute they simply succumbed to the Syrian pressure. IANS