Football
India U15 vs Laos: Blue Colts Open FIFA U15 World Cup With a 4-2 Win
Football · FIFA U15 World Cup & Festival · Group K · Match report
India U15 vs Laos: Blue Colts Open FIFA U15 World Cup With a 4-2 Win
R Lalremruatfela scored twice, and captain Macdonnish Ngairangbam and Soumojit Sarkar also scored, as India beat Laos in Baku in their first game on the world stage.
Baku, 24 October.
India’s under-15 team began the FIFA U15 World Cup & Festival Azerbaijan 2026 with a 4-2 win over Laos on Saturday at the Hovsan Competition Complex in Baku. In the India U15 vs Laos Group K opener, India led 2-0 inside 11 minutes, were pulled back to 2-2 by Laos, and then scored twice in the space of two minutes to settle it. R Lalremruatfela scored two, captain Macdonnish Ngairangbam opened the scoring, and Sarkar finished it with a strike from just inside the halfway line. The AIFF describes the result as India’s first three points at a FIFA tournament.
How India U15 vs Laos was decided
India made the faster start. Captain Macdonnish Ngairangbam scored on seven minutes, tapping in after Deepak Singh Arambam worked his way into the box and cut the ball back. Four minutes later Lalremruatfela made it 2-0, side-footing home after a blocked clearance from Deepak fell to him.
The India U15 vs Laos contest turned quickly after that. Laos did not wait long to respond. Anavin Xayyasone scored from long range on 12 minutes, just a minute after India’s second, and India went in at half-time leading 2-1, according to the AIFF match report. Ngairangbam went close to restoring a two-goal lead when he headed narrowly wide on 21 minutes, and on 24 minutes Souksavanh Siliseng struck a first-time shot from outside the box into the bottom corner to make it 2-2.
The match was decided in two minutes. On 31 minutes Lalremruatfela took a pass from Soumojit Sarkar and drove a left-footed shot in from outside the box. Two minutes later Sarkar scored the best goal of the day, a long-range strike from just inside the halfway line that went over the Laos goalkeeper.
| 7′ | Macdonnish Ngairangbam (India) | Tapped in after a cut-back from Deepak Singh Arambam |
| 11′ | R Lalremruatfela (India) | Side-footed home after a blocked clearance |
| 12′ | Anavin Xayyasone (Laos) | Long-range effort |
| 24′ | Souksavanh Siliseng (Laos) | First-time strike from outside the box, bottom corner |
| 31′ | R Lalremruatfela (India) | Left-footed from outside the box, from Soumojit Sarkar’s pass |
| 33′ | Soumojit Sarkar (India) | Long-range strike from just inside the halfway line |
Team news from India U15 vs Laos
Bibiano Fernandes named an eight-player starting side for the India U15 vs Laos match, with Jenit Ningthoujam in goal, Pratham Kumar, Nara Meitei Loushambam and Sarkar in defence, R Lalremruatfela, C Lalhmingropuia and Deepak Singh Arambam in midfield, and Ngairangbam up front as captain. Dhannya Desai, Muhammad Sohil Khan, Birjit Singh Amom, Nibas Meetei Wahengbam, Victor Lalawmpuia and Ronandev Aheibam were the substitutes.
Fernandes is assisted by Surinder Singh, with Parshuram Salwadi as goalkeeping coach. Before the tournament the squad played two friendlies against Aspire Academy’s under-15 side in Doha, both ending 2-2, then trained in Delhi and arrived in Baku on 21 October. The head coach said the team’s aim was to compete with “courage, discipline and aggression” and that the preparation had focused on explosive decision-making and faster transitions in the eight-a-side game.
What the eight-a-side format means for India U15 vs Laos
This is not a conventional World Cup. The FIFA U15 World Cup & Festival is played eight-a-side in two 20-minute halves with rolling substitutes. According to the AIFF, 189 national teams are taking part in 32 groups, each squad can register 14 players, and Khel Now reports that players must have been born in 2011 or 2012. Each team plays five group matches over three days, and the results decide which of six performance tiers a team enters in the second phase.
The format shows in the India U15 vs Laos goals. Four of the six came from range or from outside the box: Xayyasone’s long-range effort, Siliseng’s first-time strike, Lalremruatfela’s second and Sarkar’s shot from the halfway line. On a smaller pitch with smaller goals, a quick shot from distance is a real option, and India used it better.
After India U15 vs Laos: India’s remaining fixtures
India have four more group games in two days, and every match is streamed free on dazn.com. All times are IST.
| Date | IST | Fixture |
|---|---|---|
| Sat 24 Oct | 11:45 am | Laos 2-4 India (played) |
| Sun 25 Oct | 10:30 am | India v Cameroon |
| Sun 25 Oct | 5:15 pm | Grenada v India |
| Mon 26 Oct | 2:15 pm | Bahrain v India |
| Mon 26 Oct | 9:00 pm | India v Senegal |
A message from the 2017 World Cup squad
Ahead of India U15 vs Laos and the rest of the tournament, players from India’s 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup squad sent messages to the AIFF PR team for the under-15 side. Anwar Ali, now a key figure in the senior team, said the exposure to different playing styles and the demands of international football would help the young players grow as footballers and people. Abhijit Sarkar told them to play with full confidence and without nerves, and Komal Thatal asked them to believe in themselves and enjoy the journey. Nine years after India hosted the 2017 tournament, the message was simple: play without fear.
