Yupia (Arunachal Pradesh), May 19 (IANS) Head coach Bibiano Fernandes was all praises for his boys after India were crowned the SAFF U19 champions at the Golden Jubilee Stadium on Sunday.

The match had ended 1-1 after regulation time, forcing a nervy penalty shootout. India had taken the lead in the second minute through captain Singamayum Shami before Bangladesh equalised in the 61st minute through Md Joy Ahamed.

The Blue Colts stood tall and defended their trophy with a 4-3 win on penalty shootouts and Fernandes hailed their ‘tremendous character’.

“We knew it would not be an easy final by any stretch of imagination. Bangladesh showed their mettle as well, coming back from a goal down. But our boys exhibited tremendous character to keep fighting for the 90 minutes and beyond,” said Fernandes at the post-match press conference.

“We must also appreciate how Bangladesh fought back. I think they showed how good a side they are. It was an entertaining game, and at the end, we’re happy that we came out as champions,” said Fernandes, who claimed his fourth junior SAFF title on Sunday night.

While the final boiled down to a nail-biting penalty shootout, Fernandes was quietly confident in the Blue Colts’ abilities.

“I was always positive for the penalties because I have full faith in my players. I knew that our goalkeeper Suraj (Singh Aheibam) is good at saving penalties. He’s been amazing at the training sessions, when we practiced spot-kicks. We knew he would make us proud,” said Fernandes.

“The job for the rest of the boys was to put the ball in the net.”

While the India U19s showed quiet confidence in tense situations, their 48-year-old coach attributed much of the mentality to the support from the stands.

“Arunachal Pradesh was amazing for us. I’ve never seen so many fans turn up for a junior game anywhere in India. We will certainly remember this for the rest of our lives,” he said. “The crowd was amazing, and the boys enjoyed playing in front of them.

“I would like to dedicate this victory to the fans in Arunachal Pradesh, they were truly amazing. They pushed us and supported us all the way. They made us play the way we did. I’m sure this will motivate more youngsters to dream of playing for the national team one day, and we will have more players like Omang (Dodum) come through,” he said.

The Blue Colts will now regroup and begin their preparations for the AFC U20 Asian Cup Qualifiers, to be held next year.

“India has ample talent. If we do good development, we will one day see India qualify for the World Cup, that remains the dream, as always,” said Fernandes.

–IANS

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