{"id":7928,"date":"2012-06-28T01:12:11","date_gmt":"2012-06-28T01:12:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indiansportsnews.co.in\/?p=7928"},"modified":"2012-06-28T01:12:11","modified_gmt":"2012-06-28T01:12:11","slug":"india-take-on-confident-uae-in-u-22-afc-championship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indiansportsnews.co.in\/?p=7928","title":{"rendered":"India take on confident UAE in U-22 AFC Championship"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AFCMuscat: <\/strong>The boys dressed up, put on their goggles and moved out. After a morning recovery session, Tuesday was an off day for them. Papas felt they ought to get out of the routine and feel fresh; hence casuals were allowed at the Lunch table.<\/p>\n

Alwyn George who rushed for Lunch straight from the massage table didn\u2019t get enough time to get himself out from his India Track Suit. Being the last entrant into the Dining Hall, an applause greeted him. By the time he recovered, poor Alwyn had to sing.<\/p>\n

\u201cO Chak de Mundiya\u2026\u201d the smart Alwyn hummed. \u201cLouder,\u201d Papas said in a jocular tone. The boys played the drum beats on the table. The gathered guests turned around, appreciated and clapped. Alwyn blushed. From the support staff, physio Kazi Juyef Islam was handpicked by the players. But he was smarter \u2013 he sang two. A Rabindrasangeet was followed by a Bollywood melody.<\/p>\n

By Dinner, the boys had got back their focus. Ranked 119 in the FIFA ladder and more importantly, a team which has qualified for the forthcoming London Olympics, United Arab Emirates stay the next challenge.<\/p>\n

UAE Coach Baler Sadih says: \u201cWe have quite a few options up our sleeve. We look forward to the match.\u201d UAE had been unstoppable so far. In the first match, they beat hosts Oman 2-0 while in the second they accounted for Turkmenistan 1-0.<\/p>\n

Ask Arthur Papas and he admits: \u201cThis is a defining match in the tournament. We need to maintain our consistency. We have had two very good games so far. Though the results have been different, there are so many positives which have emerged.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe boys have shown character and at this level you have to play with the same intensity every day,\u201d he adds. \u201cUAE are a very tough opposition. I reiterate one shouldn\u2019t be expecting miracles. Everyone needs to be patient.\u201d<\/p>\n

Early morning, the buzz is back. There\u2019s an intense Core Training Session in the gym. After breakfast, players line up for their treatment and massage.\u00a0 In between the Hotel staff, most of them Indians come over to inform the ice is waiting. The ice-bath will happen after the evening training session.<\/p>\n

Someone who scored against the UAE Senior Team in the World Cup Qualifiers \u2013 Captain Jeje Lalpekhlua is ready to go. \u201cI still remember Dika\u2019s (Lalrindika Ralte) cross which was inch perfect. I just had to nod it in,\u201d Jeje says. Dika, smiles. \u201cThe turf was slushy was maintaining balance was difficult. There\u2019s a sort of telepathy between Jeje and me,\u201d he quips.<\/p>\n

You just can\u2019t keep Manandeep Singh quiet. Sitting next, he plays his one-two. \u201cSo on a lush field in Muscat, you will provide us five such centres!\u201d a mischievous Manandeep presses. Jeje adds in a tone of surprise: Five? We wait for 10 such crosses.\u201d The laughter goes all around. Dika stands up, walks to his boots, touches them, comes and sits back.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn International Matches, more often than not, the details decide the fate,\u201d Papas comments.<\/p>\n

\u201cMinute details such as set pieces, corners, etc. We need to be perfect.\u201d
In the meantime, the phone just doesn\u2019t stop ringing. Indians, all based in Muscat, want to meet the team — Diplomats, Bankers, Executives, Journalists. Requests for tickets flow in.<\/p>\n

An UAE supporter, here in Muscat for official work, stayed confident: \u201cAgainst India we will score minimum five goals,\u201d he says and laughs loud. None from the Indian Camp retaliates.
The kick-off at the Royal Oman Police Stadium is at IST: 9.15pm (7.45 local time) on Thursday, June 28.<\/p>\n

The list of 23 stays as follows:
<\/strong><\/p>\n

Goalkeepers: <\/strong>Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (Vice-captain), Ravi Kumar, Soram Poirei Angamba. <\/p>\n

Defenders: <\/strong>Pritam Kotal, Vishal Kumar, Souvik Ghosh, Prathamesh Maulinkar, Deepak Devrani, Narayan Das, Abhishek Das. <\/p>\n

Midfielders: <\/strong>Pronoy Halder, Ognam Milan Singh, Thirthankar Sarkar, Alwyn George, Simranjit Singh, Ganeshan, Deepak Prakash, Lalrindika Ralte, Shaiju Mon, Romeo Fernandes.

Forwards: <\/strong>Holicharan Narzary,\u00a0 Jeje Lalpekhlua (Captain), Manandeep Singh.<\/p>\n

Head Coach: <\/strong>Arthur Papas
Assistant Coach: <\/strong>Narayana Menon
Goalkeeping Coach: <\/strong>Tanumoy Basu
Fitness Trainer: <\/strong>Bibhu Nayak
Manager: <\/strong>Sriniwas Murthy
Doctor: <\/strong>Sandeep Kumar
Physio: <\/strong>Kazi Juyef Islam
Masseur: <\/strong>Santosh Chacko<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Muscat: The boys dressed up, put on their goggles and moved out. After a morning recovery session, Tuesday was an off day for them. Papas felt they ought to get out of the routine and feel fresh; hence casuals were allowed at the Lunch table. Alwyn George who rushed for Lunch straight from the massage […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[5500,4279,5501,2448,5510,5507,3541,453,860,1005,5504,5503,5509,5508,5506,5505],"class_list":["post-7928","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-latest","tag-alwyn-george","tag-arthur-papas","tag-baler-sadih","tag-deepak-prakash","tag-forwards-holicharan-narzary","tag-ganeshan","tag-gurpreet-singh-sandhu","tag-jeje-lalpekhlua","tag-lalrindika-ralte","tag-manandeep-singh","tag-ognam-milan-singh","tag-pronoy-halder","tag-romeo-fernandes","tag-shaiju-mon","tag-simranjit-singh","tag-thirthankar-sarkar"],"yoast_head":"\nIndia take on confident UAE in U-22 AFC Championship - IndianSportsNews.com - Latest Updated Sports News & Sports Blogs of Cricket, Hockey, Golf, Football, Tennis & Other Sports<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/indiansportsnews.co.in\/?p=7928\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"India take on confident UAE in U-22 AFC Championship - IndianSportsNews.com - Latest Updated Sports News & Sports Blogs of Cricket, Hockey, Golf, Football, Tennis & Other Sports\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Muscat: The boys dressed up, put on their goggles and moved out. 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