India U16 fell to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Norway in their second fixture of the Superchain Friendlies at Benicassim in Spain on Wednesday.
After going down by a solitary goal to the USA in their previous match, India started positively against their Norwegian counterparts. Ridge Melvin hit the post as early as the 13th minute but his effort was flagged offside anyway.
Norway slowly started dominating proceedings and took a deserved lead in the 20th minute. The Indian colts upped the ante after falling behind with both Shabas and Givson forcing the Norwegian custodian into making excellent saves.
India’s endeavors ultimately paid off in the 32nd minute after they were awarded a penalty. Sailo stepped up from the spot and made no mistake in restoring parity in the tie.
India had a couple of more chances before the half-time whistle to take the lead. Ridge Melvin drew the Norwegian keeper into another save before skipper Vikram found Rohit Danu with an excellent pass. Danu’s attempt was saved as well as both sides finished the 40-minute half at 1-1.
Vikram came mighty close of India at the restart with his header missing the target by just a whisker. Goalkeeper Niraj Kumar then thwarted Norway with a wonderful save after finding himself one-on-one against the striker.
Norway struck at the hour-mark to regain their lead before India came close to nullifying it again through efforts from Vikram and Rohit Danu. As India stepped up the pressure to restore parity, Norway struck again through a counter-attack in the 75th minute to seal the win.
India U16 Starting XI vs Norway: Niraj (GK), Shabas, Harpreet Singh, Gurkirat, Moirangthem Thoiba, Vikram (C), Ridge, Sailo, Givson, Ricky, Danu
