Soumo Ghosh
AIFF Media Team

VIENTIANE, LAOS: The India U20 men’s national team are not ready to sit on their laurels just yet. While the team seem to have put past disappointments with a confident 4-1 victory against Mongolia in the first Group G match of the AFC U20 Asian Cup 2025 qualifiers, there is still a lot of work to be done.

Facing IR Iran, considered a powerhouse of Asian football, in their next game at the Lao National Stadium KM16 in Vientiane, Laos, on Friday, September 27, 2024, with the kick-off slated for 2.30 pm IST, India will be looking to iron out the rough edges

Head coach Ranjan Chaudhuri said on the eve of the Iran test, “The last match was a big motivation for our team. I’ve always maintained that winning the first match of a tournament is crucial, and the boys stuck their heads in and played extremely well against Mongolia.

“But we cannot rejoice in the victory just yet. We must immediately begin preparations for the next game,” he said. “We missed a lot of chances against Mongolia, and that is something we cannot afford against Iran,” said Chaudhuri.

“They are an extremely good side, but we have made our plans according to their game as well. Anything can happen on the day, and with a little luck, our boys can get a good result. The most important thing for us is to play our game well, and come out of the match with our heads held high, with a smile,” said Chaudhuri.

While India registered a 4-1 win against Mongolia, Iran trampled hosts Laos 8-0, a result that puts them firmly at the top of Group G. However, Iran head coach Hossein Abdi was wary of India’s potential threat.

He said, “India have quality players, many of whom I’ve seen at the U-17 level in Thailand last year. They play a fast game, have shown a good understanding of football. I think the game has progressed very fast in India recently, and we will see further advances in the future.“

We will give it our best against them, but the most important thing at this level is that the players are safe. It’s all about building good human relations and doing well for the country,” said Abdi.