Itanagar: India kicked off its South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) U-19 title defence in spectacular fashion with a commanding 8-0 victory against Sri Lanka in the Group B opener at the Golden Jubilee Stadium in Arunachal Pradesh on Friday.
Arunachal Pradesh hosted the SAFF U-19 Football Championship 2025 for the first time at the iconic stadium in Yupia.
Danny Meitei scored a hat-trick in the 26th, 31st and 50th minutes while Prashan Jajo bagged a brace in the comprehensive win. Md Arbash , Omang Dodum , and captain Singamayum Shami scored one each.
With slick passing, intelligent movement, and constant pressure, India dominated every inch of the pitch and left Sri Lanka chasing the shadows.
The breakthrough came in the 17th minute when Prashan Jajo burst down the left flank, beating his marker with pace and precision before smashing home from a tight angle to give India a deserved lead.
Just nine minutes later, a misjudged backpass from Sri Lanka allowed Omang Dodum to pounce and deliver a pinpoint cross for Danny, who made no mistake with a well-timed header.
India’s midfield dictated the tempo with sharp distribution, while their forwards tore through Sri Lanka’s disorganised backline. On the wings, Arbash and Rohen Singh were especially threatening, generating wave after wave of attacks.
India made it 3-0 in the 31st minute when Danny struck again this time with a powerful left-footed effort from 21 yards out that flew past stranded Sri Lanka goalkeeper Nadal Aaron Senapala.
The fourth arrived before half-time, when Danny floated a cross into the box, which Jajo headed cleverly into the path of Arbash, who tapped home with ease.
The second half resumed with the same energy as the first. Local favourite Omang Dodum got on the scoresheet in the 48th minute, showing brilliant footwork to beat his marker before slotting between the legs of Senapala.
A couple of minutes later, Danny completed his hat-trick after capitalising on a defensive error from Omith Edirisinghe, calmly finishing from close range to make it 6-0.
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In the 62nd minute, Jajo doubled his tally after Senapala failed to collect a routine header from India captain Singamayum Shami, spilling the ball into the path of the forward who slotted home. The eighth and final goal was a moment of individual brilliance from Shami himself, who danced past two defenders before finishing clinically from a tight angle in the 81st minute.
In the other match of the day, Bangladesh and Maldives shared the spoils with a 2-2 draw.
