India U20 Men Defeat Singapore 3-0 in First Closed-Door Friendly

New Delhi, Aug 2026 : The India U20 men’s football team began its preparations for the AFC U20 Asian Cup China 2027 Qualifiers on a positive note, defeating Singapore 3-0 in the first of two closed-door friendly matches at the Centre for Sports Excellence in Bengaluru on Monday.

India, popularly known as the Blue Colts, produced a disciplined performance and controlled key phases of the game. Rishi Singh Ningthoukhongjam opened the scoring in first-half stoppage time, finding the net in the 45th minute plus two minutes.

India carried its advantage into the second half and extended the lead through Singamayum Shami, who scored in the 63rd minute. Singapore’s difficulties continued late in the match, with the visitors conceding an own goal in the 83rd minute to complete India’s 3-0 victory.

The two teams will meet again on Thursday in the second closed-door friendly, giving head coach Mahesh Gawali another opportunity to assess his players ahead of the Asian Cup qualifiers.

The Blue Colts are scheduled to compete in the AFC U20 Asian Cup China 2027 Qualifiers in Uzbekistan from August 31 to September 6. India will face Syria on August 31, hosts Uzbekistan on September 3 and Bangladesh on September 6, with all three matches scheduled to be played in Tashkent.

Gawali selected his squad for the Singapore friendlies after an extensive scouting and evaluation process. As many as 102 players from across the country participated in trials before the national camp began. Following the initial assessment, 26 players were selected to train with the U20 national team from the shortlisted group.

The ongoing preparation has also involved balancing national-team requirements with club commitments. Fifteen players were temporarily released from the camp at the request of their respective clubs to participate in the Reliance Foundation Development League Japan Tour. The group includes eight players from Punjab FC, six from Bengaluru FC and one from FC Goa.

The players are expected to rejoin the national team camp after returning from Japan next week. Further assessments will then be conducted before India’s preliminary squad for the AFC U20 Asian Cup qualifiers is finalised and officially announced.

India have a strong record against Singapore in previous official U20 competitions. The teams have met twice in the AFC Youth Championship, with India winning both encounters. The first came in 1966, when India recorded a 4-1 victory, while the second was a penalty shootout win in the quarter-finals of the 1974 tournament, during India’s title-winning campaign.

The two sides also faced each other in two U19 international friendlies in Goa in 2017. India won the opening match 7-2, while Singapore secured a 1-0 victory in the second encounter.

The 3-0 result in Bengaluru provides India with an encouraging start to the latest phase of its preparations. The second friendly on Thursday will offer Gawali another chance to test combinations, evaluate individual performances and fine-tune the squad before the crucial qualifying campaign in Uzbekistan.