India rode on a late strike from substitute SK Faiaz to script a well-deserved victory against Nepal in their second Group A match of the AFC U-19 Championship (Qualifiers) here at the Al Arabi Stadium here.
Faiaz struck in the 87th minute to take India home last night and they now have three points from two matches.
"It was a great performance. We showed that we are a 90-minute Team," Head Coach Colm Joseph Toal said after the match.
"I thought we dominated the game for long spells. Even if we would not have won, I would have been happy for the way these Boys played tonight.
"The fact that we got a goal in the last five minutes shows their strong character too. There was a lot of support for Nepal. It was a great learning experience for them," he added.
Collecting possession from just outside the box after Gurba Gagrai had slipped in a delicious pass, Faiaz sped past defenders and made no mistake in slotting home from close range with goalkeeper Alan Neupane only managing to deflect his shot into the goal.
On the offensive from the word go, Captain Souvik Das dinked a cross inside the area for Kumam Udanta Singh who scooped his 11th minute effort over the bar.
Nepal could hardly make any inroads as Colm Toal's wards turned on the heat on their 'noisy' neighbours with back-to-back corners kicks.
Of the three Germanpreet's flag-kick floaters from the right, Udanta drilled his shot wide, Shaiborlang Kharpan could not connect and Daniel Lalhlimpuia hit a defender.
