India lose 0-4 to Atletico Paranaense in U-17 football meet

India were thrashed 0-4 by hosts Atletico Paranaense in the first semi-final of the Under-17 International football tournament in Brazil.

Atletico Paranaense on Friday almost found the back of the net in the 15th minute but Md. Nawaz's save thwarted their effort to keep the scoreline unchanged, according to an All-India Football Federation (AIFF) release here.

Four minutes later, India earned a free kick at the top of the opponent's box but Amarjit's shot was cleared by the opposition defender without much fuss which resulted in a corner. But it was collected by the rival goalkeeper.

The home team drew first blood from the corner towards the end of the first half.

After the changeover, the home team earned a penalty kick which was converted to double the score.

Coach Nicolai Adam tried to instil more speed and purpose in the midfield by introducing the fresher pair of legs of Saurabh and Abhijit withdrawing Lalengmawia and Aniket respectively.

In the last 10 minutes, the Brazilian boys suddenly changed tack and took the match by the scruff of the neck. They netted two successive goals to overwhelm their Indian counterparts by an unassailable 4-0 margin.

The Indian boys are now slated to compete against Orlando City SC in the third place decider on Sunday.

--IANS

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