The 'real challenge begins now,' says coach Bibiano Fernandes after India qualifies for 2020 AFC U16 Championship

09/23/2019

The Indian colts played sensational football and emerged as the Group B winners with a superior goal difference to seal a berth for next year’s AFC U16 Championship in Bahrain. Coach Bibiano Fernandes feels that the 'real challenge' for the youngsters begins after the success in the qualifiers.

The ‘Blue Tigers’ drubbed Turkmenistan and Bahrain with identical scorelines of 5-0 and shared the spoils in the last encounter against Uzbekistan to collect 7 points from three matches. Bibiano Fernandes feels that the real challenge for his boys starts after the inspiring display in Tashkent.

“The real challenge begins now. Last year, we suffered a heartbreak in the quarter-finals against Korea Republic. Our preparation for the AFC U-16 Finals has already begun with the final whistle,” said Fernandes as per the reports of scroll.in.

So far, the collaboration of the boys with the former International has been giving the desired results. The Indian team recently won the SAFF U16 Championships without conceding a single goal and have currently extended their winning streak to 14 matches in a row.

In fact, the Indian colts have played 42 matches under the supervision of Bibiano Fernandes, out of which 14 were international matches. These include exposure trips to Italy, Slovenia, Turkey and Thailand. Bibiano feels that the tours organised by the AIFF and the Sports Authority of India have “helped the boys mature.”