Out of contention India blanked 0-3 by DPR Korea

Colombo: Defending champions suffered their third straight defeat as they were blanked 0-3 by title

contenders DPR Korea in their final Group B match in the AFC Challenge Cup football tournament here today. The Indian Under-23 boys had nothing at stake but pride as they had already been out of the competition after losing their first two matches, but they were no match to their technically superior DPR Koreans at Sugathadasa Stadium. Sukhwinder Singh`s boys kept at bay their North Korean opponents for most part of the first half but once they conceded the first goal, which came from a defensive lapse, the Indians lost steam and were busy defending their citadel for most part of the play after the breather. Midfielder Ryang Yong-gi struck twice -- in the 37th and 70th minutes -- while Choe Chol-man found the target in the 58th minute to end India`s campaign on a losing note. Adding to the woes of the injury-depleted Indian side, captain and striker Sushil Singh was red carded in the 81st minute for apparently elbowing North Korean defender Pak Yong-yok. Right winger Joaquim Abranches, who returned to the playing XI today after missing the previous match due to a knock on his head in the first outing, suffered an injury below his left eye and had to be replaced by Jeje Lalpekhlua. India, who won the last edition at home in 2008 to qualify for 2011 Asian Cup, lost 1-2 against Kyrgyzstan in their first match before being beaten 0-1 by Turkmenistan. DPR Korea, who are also fielding mostly Under-23 players in the tournament, topped Group B with seven points from two wins and a draw. They play Myanmar in the semifinal. The winner of the eight-team tournament will book another berth for the 2011 Asian Cup in Doha. The Indians, who were hit hard by injuries prior to and during the tournament, had their share of a couple of good moves in the first half but failed to seriously threaten the North Korean goal. DPR Korea wasted many chances in the first half with midfielder Ri Chol-myong being the most profligate, off target on at least three occasions as a brave Indian defence grimly held on. Chol-myong failed to finish a patient build-up in the 23rd minute when he shot wide from his left foot, then from the next attacking phase, a minute later, his right-footer was off target again. Despite packing their mid-field with five players, the Indian defence was still porous giving Chol-myong another opportunity in the 32nd minute, but his powerful shot wasn`t enough to bother India keeper Karanjit Singh. The deadlock was broken in the 37th minute when a blunder from Lalrindika Ralte, who, attempting to play the ball back to a teammate, gifted it to Ryang whose left-footer left Karanjit with no chance. Chae Tu-yong came close to adding a second just before the break when he lobbed Karanjit who had come off the line to stop one more attacking thrust, but luckily for India, defender Gurwinder Singh was able to clear the ball from the goal-line. The North Koreans turned on the heat in the second half with Choe Chol-man finding the target in the 58th minute when a through ball from Sin Yong-nam caught the Indian defence napping. Choe unleashed a powerful right-footer from just outside the area which left India goalkeeper Karanjit no chance to stop it. Ryang then added his second and sealed the victory 12 minutes later when he rose to head home a cross from Pak Yong-jin to make it 3-0. Sukhwinder rued some of his key players could not take field due to injuries but conceded his boys lost to a better opponent. "DPR Korea were better opponents. Better team won today. We were missing our key players due to injury like both the regular central defenders Dharmaraj Ravannan and Rowlison Rodrigues and other defender Robert Lalthlamuana and Debabrata Roy (due to suspension)," he said after the match. "We started well in the first half and were matching our superior opponents in every department of the game. It was a bad pass from our players outside the box which gave them the goal. Weather was difficult for both the teams but we did not have much options for substitutions especially at the central midfield," he added. Despite crashing out of the tournament with an all-loss record, the seasoned coach felt it was a good international exposure for his young boys. "It is a young team, they faced quality opponents. Experience gained here will help them for future, for example for the preparation of the Asian Games," he said. PTI