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New Delhi, October 12
In the end, a fairytale finish eluded India. The hosts fought valiantly but couldn’t breach the defence of two-time champions Ghana as they lost 4-0 in their last league fixture of the FIFA Under-17 World Cup here today. India bowed out of the tournament without registering a single win in three games. However, they earned respect for their never-say-die attitude and the passion with which they approached every game.
Today, though, India failed to produce the magic they showed against Colombia, and committed a lot of errors in defence to suffer a mauling at the hands of the Black Starlets. The Indian forwards failed to finish the moves, while their defence was often caught napping. Ghana scored through captain Eric Ayiah (43rd, 52nd minute), substitute Richard Danso (86th) and Emmanuel Toku (87th).
Ghana topped Group A with two wins from three games, while Colombia also advanced to the Round of 16 after defeating the USA 3-1 in Navi Mumbai today. USA, who also have six points, finished third in the group but they, too, would qualify for the knockouts as one of the four teams after the top 12.
Bright start
The India-Ghana contest started on a promising note, with the hosts earning a corner in the very first minute. But last match’s hero, Jeakson Thounaojam, failed to convert the chance. In the 4th minute, Ghana’s Ayiah and Sadiq Ibrahim moved dangerously inside India’s box, but goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh thwarted their attempt. India survived another early scare when Ghana launched a counterattack through Ayiah in the 6th minute, but his goal was disallowed after an offside call. There was no letup in Ghana’s intensity as they won another corner in the 9th minute, but failed to convert it.
India, spurred on by the flurry of offensive moves by Ghana, fought back and created a couple of chances from both flanks to put the opponent under some pressure. In the 15th minute, India earned a free-kick outside the box, but Sanjeev Stalin’s attempt was cleared by Ghana’s defensive line.
In the 28th minute, Ghana’s Isaac Gymfi caught Dheeraj off-guard, but his superbly-executed long-range shot went inches above the cross bar. Indian midfielder Boris Singh got a yellow card for his rough tackle in the 33rd minute, which resulted in Ghana earning a free-kick. Ayiah’s shot from just outside the penalty box, however, went way above the goalpost.
Floodgates open
For the first 40 minutes, India and Ghana fought on an even keel with both teams enjoying almost an equal share of ball possession. Ayiah was finally able to beat the Indian goalkeeper in the 43rd minute as he elegantly converted an assist from Sadiq Ibrahim to hand his team a 1-0 lead.
After the break, Ghana ripped open the Indian defence with some precise passes. In the 52nd minute, Ayiah scored from inside the penalty box to swell Ghana’s lead to 2-0. The two goals within ten minutes shattered the morale of the hosts and they started committing simple errors in the midfield.
Sensing that the hosts had lost the plot, Ghana upped the ante and pumped in two more goals towards the end for a comfortable victory.
