India U20 Men’s Team Beat Yemen 1-0 in Final Friendly Ahead of AFC U20 Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers

The India U20 men’s football team concluded its final set of preparatory friendlies on a winning note, defeating Yemen 1-0 in a closed-door match at the Centre for Sports Excellence in Bengaluru on Sunday, August 23, 2026.

Gunleiba Wangkheirakpam scored the decisive goal in the 89th minute as the Blue Colts finally found a breakthrough after a tightly contested contest against their West Asian opponents. The result came after the two sides had played out a goalless draw in the first friendly on August 20, giving India a positive finish to their preparations before the AFC U20 Asian Cup China 2027 Qualifiers.

The Indian squad will now depart for Tashkent on August 26, where they will continue their preparations ahead of the qualifying campaign in Uzbekistan from August 31 to September 6. For the Blue Colts, the narrow victory against Yemen completed a useful four-match friendly programme in Bengaluru, which also included two earlier victories against Singapore.

For much of the second friendly against Yemen, the match appeared to be heading towards another stalemate. The two teams had been unable to score in their first meeting on Thursday, and the second encounter again proved to be a close affair. India, however, continued to push for a decisive result in the closing stages.

The breakthrough finally arrived in the 89th minute when Gunleiba Wangkheirakpam found the back of the net to give India a 1-0 victory. The late goal ensured that India ended the two-match series against Yemen unbeaten. More importantly, it gave the Blue Colts another competitive result before they head into the qualifiers, where every match will carry significantly greater importance.

The first match against Yemen had ended 0-0, providing India with a defensive test against an opponent they had previously faced only once at this age-group level. India and Yemen had earlier met in the AFC U19 Championship Qualifiers in 2017, with that match also ending in a goalless draw. The two meetings in Bengaluru followed a similar pattern initially, with both teams finding it difficult to break each other down. However, Gunleiba's late intervention ensured that the latest encounter produced a winner.

Four-match friendly preparation in Bengaluru

The Yemen matches were India's third and fourth friendlies of the ongoing training camp. Before facing Yemen, the Blue Colts had played Singapore twice at the same venue.

India won the first match against Singapore 3-0 on August 3 before following it with a 1-0 victory three days later. The subsequent matches against Yemen presented a different challenge. The first ended in a goalless draw, while India had to wait until the final minute of the second match to secure a 1-0 victory. Across their four preparatory friendlies, India therefore registered three wins and one draw.

The sequence of results gives the team momentum before travelling to Uzbekistan, although the bigger objective remains the qualification campaign ahead. The friendlies have provided the coaching staff with competitive match exposure before the squad moves into tournament mode.

The AFC U20 Asian Cup China 2027 Qualifiers will be held in Uzbekistan from August 31 to September 6. India will travel to Tashkent on August 26, five days before the opening match, allowing the team time to acclimatise to the local conditions and continue training. India has been drawn into a challenging qualifying group alongside Syria, hosts Uzbekistan and Bangladesh.

The Blue Colts will begin their campaign against Syria on August 31. Their second match will come against Uzbekistan on September 3, before India concludes their qualifying fixtures against Bangladesh on September 6. The match against hosts Uzbekistan is likely to be a significant challenge, while the short tournament window means recovery and consistency will be equally important.

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India will have three matches in seven days, leaving little room for a slow start. That makes the work completed during the Bengaluru camp particularly valuable.

The victory over Yemen may have come in a friendly, but the timing of the result is important. India had gone through the first match without scoring and were again involved in a close contest in the second meeting. Finding a winning goal in the 89th minute demonstrated persistence and ensured the Blue Colts finished their home preparations with a victory.

Gunleiba Wangkheirakpam's goal could also provide confidence to an Indian side preparing for a tournament where tight matches may be decided by small moments. The friendly series has exposed India to different game situations.

Against Singapore, the team experienced both a comfortable 3-0 victory and a narrower 1-0 result. Against Yemen, India played out a goalless draw before finding a late winner in the return match. That range of results has given the Blue Colts experience of managing different scorelines and match scenarios before the qualifiers begin.

Focus now shifts to AFC U20 Asian Cup qualification.

With the Bengaluru camp coming to an end, the focus will now turn completely towards Uzbekistan. The victory over Yemen is a positive way to conclude the friendly programme, but the real challenge begins in Tashkent. India will first take on Syria on August 31 before facing Uzbekistan and Bangladesh.

The Blue Colts will head into the qualifiers after an unbeaten run across their four preparatory friendlies, with three victories and one draw. Their defensive record during the Yemen matches will offer encouragement, while the team will also know the importance of finding greater attacking consistency in competitive matches.

For now, however, India can take confidence from a late winning moment. After 90 minutes without a goal in the first friendly and 88 more minutes of resistance in the second, Gunleiba Wangkheirakpam finally found the breakthrough. His 89th-minute winner gave the India U20 men’s team a 1-0 victory over Yemen.

And with the AFC U20 Asian Cup China 2027 Qualifiers now just days away, the Blue Colts will hope that winning momentum travels with them from Bengaluru to Tashkent.