India won 2-0 in their last Group G encounter in the AFC U-20 Asian Cup 2025 Qualifiers on Sunday against the host Laos.
The Indian U-20 squad, often called the Blue Colts, concluded their group stage campaign with a triumph. Thanks to goals from Thanglalsoun Gangte and Gwgwmsar Goyary in the second half, the squad finished strong in the group.
The AFC U20 Asian Cup 2025 Qualifiers saw India defeat hosts Laos 2-0 in their last Group G encounter on Sunday thanks to two goals in the second half. The Blue Colts missed a number of scoring opportunities before Gwgwmsar Goyary (69th minute) and Thanglalsoun Gangte (84th minute) scored to secure full points.
India came in second place in the four-team group, trailing Iran (9 points) after three games, but it’s unclear if it would be enough to get them into the competition’s final stages. The top five teams from each of the ten groups will advance to the AFC U20 Asian Cup 2025 in China, as will the top five teams from the second place finish. India had a 4 goal differential in the end.
India had to retreat back to the dressing room after stumbling in their search for a goal for the majority of the opening forty-five minutes around the Laos area.
While India missed numerous opportunities, the home team relied on good fortune to maintain a spotless scorecard. The Blue Colts had opportunities to grab the lead in the first half, but they did not take advantage of them.
With the Laos goalie at his mercy, Kelvin Singh Taorem stunned everyone by failing to find the target.
When Goyary ballooned over the bar from just outside the six-yard area, Kop Lokpathib, the Laos custodian and by far the busiest person on the pitch, appeared more relieved than anybody else in the vicinity.
The only difference in the pattern during the second session was that Laos capitalized on India’s annoyance. Laos took advantage of the opportunity to launch a counterattack as the India U20 team added more players to the attack in an attempt to score.
Sahil was watchful beneath the bar each times the Indian goal was under assault. With the exception of these isolated assaults from Laos, the Indian strikers were always laying siege to their objective.
The Indians squandered three or four consecutive opportunities before their unwavering quest for a score finally paid off in the 69th minute.
Manglenthang Kipgen’s long pass found Goyary within the area, whereupon he ground a shot to beat the goalkeeper. Thanglalsoun Gangte, a replacement, scored the second goal inside the box in the 84th minute.