India end 20-year wait to qualify for AFC U-20 Asian Cup after 3-0 win over Bangladesh

NEW DELHI: India qualified for the AFC Under-20 Asian Cup after 20 years, courtesy its 3-0 win over Bangladesh and the Uzbekistan vs Syria match going in its favour at the Do’stlik Stadium in Tashkent on Sunday.

Danny Meitei Laishram opened the scoring in the 25th minute before Vishal Yadav doubled India’s advantage with an acrobatic finish on the hour mark. Substitute Md Arbash then sealed the contest with a powerful strike in the 79th minute. The victory took India to six points from its three matches, which placed it second in the final Group B standings. Uzbekistan, who defeated Syria, qualified as the topper with nine points.

Syria finished third with three points, and bottom-placed Bangladesh was relegated to the Development Phase after losing all three games. India qualified as one of the seven best runners-up across all eight groups. The last time India featured in the U-20 Asian Cup was back in 2006, when it exited in the group stage. Agencies

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