WAFF Championship | India U-16 upset Asian Champions Iraq with stoppage-time goal
The Indian under-16 team has stunned the Asian Champions Iraq 1-0 in the ongoing WAFF Championship in Iraq with thanks to a stoppage-time goal from Bhuvenesh. This under-16 team has created history by defeating Iraq for the very first time in any format and among all age groups.
India displayed a dominating performance as Bhuvenesh scored the winner in the dying minutes of the match, much to the disbelief of the hosts. Bhuvenesh’s header triggered euphoric celebrations as the entire bench rushed onto the field to congratulate each other. India U-16 head coach Bibiano Fernandes dedicated the victory to his fellow Indian coaches who trained the Indian players before joining the AIFF Academy and eventually the national team.
Speaking of India’s first ever victory against Iraq, Fernandes smiled and said that a game-winning goal in the dying minutes of a match is always special. He felt that it was always difficult to play the Iraqi side because of their physicality and stated that the performances in the previous matches kept the team confident.
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Reflecting on India’s dominance in the match, Fernandes stated that he kept pushing the boys till the last minute and did not let them give up which eventually paid off. He kept reminding the players about their goal in the previous match (India’s first goal against Japan in 36 years).
“I just had to tell the boys not to give up and keep pushing hard as I knew we were getting close. They stuck to the plan until the final whistle and it paid off. I kept reminding them about the goal in the previous match and be humble as it was a part of the learning curve,” he added.
