Despite their valiant effort, India suffered a 4-8 loss against Japan in their last Group D match of the AFC U-17 Asian Cup at the Rajamangala National Stadium, here on Friday.
In a game of two halves, India clawed back into the match in the second half. And gave Japan a real run for their money, before losing the match at the end.
The Blue Colts came into the encounter needing to win, in order to stand a chance to qualify for the quarter-finals of the tournament, but they were out of the tournament after the end of the game.
India were forced to make one change to their starting XI. As Mukul Panwar slotted in at centre-back in place of the suspended Pramveer.
Japan were dominant from the very start, enjoying possession, while India played a mid-block game. The Blue Colts looked to contain Japan and funnel them into a narrow area. Thanglalsoun Gangte was the only one in the centre circle, looking to hold up the ball for the counter-attacks.