India’s U20 Football Team Led by Thomas Cherian Prepares for AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers Against Mongolia
India’s Under-20 football team is gearing up to start their AFC U20 Asian Cup China 2025 qualification campaign in Vientiane, Laos. The Blue Colts will play their first match in Group G against Mongolia at the Lao National Stadium KM16 on Wednesday, September 25, at 2.30 pm IST.
Preparation and Goals
Head coach Ranjan Chaudhuri shared his thoughts at the pre-tournament press conference, stating, “We’ve been preparing well for the last three months, and the boys are ready for the challenge. Our aim is to qualify for the AFC U20 Asian Cup for the first time, which will set a great precedent for our boys.”
Chaudhuri emphasized the importance of winning the first match to set a positive tone for the tournament. “The first match of any tournament is crucial, and we must ensure that we get three points from it,” he said.
Team Leadership
Upon arriving in Vientiane on September 23, Chaudhuri announced Thomas K. Cherian as the team captain. Cherian expressed his readiness, saying, “We have a great responsibility from our nation, and we’ve prepared well for it. The mindset of the boys is extremely good, and we just have to do our job with a positive mindset.”
Mongolia’s Perspective
Mongolia’s head coach, Anar Batchuluun, discussed the challenges his team faces, particularly adjusting to natural turf. “We thought the weather conditions would be the biggest factor for us, but we have been pleasantly surprised by it. The only thing we have to adjust to is the natural turf on which we will play,” he said. Batchuluun acknowledged India’s strength but remained optimistic about his team’s performance.
Doubts Revealed
U20 -: U20 means ‘Under 20’. It refers to players who are younger than 20 years old.
AFC -: AFC stands for Asian Football Confederation. It is the governing body of football in Asia.
Asian Cup -: The Asian Cup is a football tournament where teams from Asia compete to be the best.
Qualifiers -: Qualifiers are matches that teams play to try to get into a bigger tournament.
Thomas Cherian -: Thomas Cherian is the captain of India’s Under-20 football team.
Vientiane -: Vientiane is the capital city of Laos, a country in Asia.
Ranjan Chaudhuri -: Ranjan Chaudhuri is the coach of India’s Under-20 football team.
Three points -: In football, winning a match gives a team three points. These points help teams move up in the tournament.
Natural turf -: Natural turf means real grass on the football field, as opposed to artificial grass.
Anar Batchuluun -: Anar Batchuluun is the coach of Mongolia’s football team.
