The India U23 men’s national team were eliminated from the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers despite a dominant 6-0 victory over Brunei Darussalam at the Suheim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday.
The Blue Colts finished with six points from their three matches and had to wait nervously for the outcome of the remaining Group H match between Qatar and Bahrain at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium. Qatar came from behind to win 2-1 with two injury-time goals, topping the group with nine points, while India ended second with six points. Among the four best second-placed teams, India ranked fifth and missed out on qualification.
Midfielder Vibin Mohanan scored a hat-trick (5′, 7′, 62′), Mohammed Aimen netted two (87′, 90+7′), and Ayush Chhetri added one (41′) for India.
India started strongly, with Muhammed Suhail cutting the ball back for Vibin, who finished from close range in the fifth minute. Vibin doubled the lead just minutes later with a looping shot over the Brunei goalkeeper. India continued to press, with coach Moosa introducing centre forward Parthib Gogoi in the 32nd minute to bolster the attack. Ayush Chhetri scored the third in the 41st minute, finishing a one-two move inside the box.
In the second half, India maintained pressure, and Vibin completed his hat-trick with a beautifully curled free-kick 15 minutes after the restart. Substitutes Sahil Harijan, Aimen, and Soham Varshneya were brought on to add energy and creativity. Harijan came close on multiple occasions, while Aimen struck the upright before adding two stunning long-range goals late to complete the 6-0 win.
Despite the emphatic performance, India’s campaign ended in disappointment, falling just short of qualification due to Qatar’s late victory.
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