India Under-17 were knocked out of the Granatkin Memorial Cup after slumping to a 1-4 loss to Latvia Under-18 in their final group game in Saint Petersburg on Thursday.
Coming into the game, India needed to avoid defeat to stand a chance of qualifying for the quarter-finals. Those hopes were dashed in the first half, with the Latvians raced to a 3-0 lead at the break.
India pulled one back in the second half with Sanjeev Stalin’s exquisite free-kick. Latvia got their three-goal advantage back from the penalty spot just minutes later. India will now play three play-off matches, which will decide their final position in the tournament.
India were thrashed 0-8 in their opener before coming back in the tournament with a stunning 1-0 win against Belarus on Tuesday.