India vs Senegal: Blue Colts Finish Third in Group K, Move Into Tier C
October 26: India suffered a 1-6 defeat against Senegal in their fifth and final Group K match of the FIFA U15 World Cup & Festival Azerbaijan 2026 at the Hovsan Competition Complex Pitch 8A on Monday, a result that saw the Blue Colts finish third in the group and move into Tier C for the tournament stage.
Abdoulaye Diallo scored four goals for Senegal, while Georges Kanfom and Pierre Mbengue also found the net. Ronandev Aheibam pulled one back for India in the second half, but Senegal had already taken firm control of the contest by then. With Cameroon beating Bahrain 2-0 in the other Group K fixture, India ended the qualification stage with 10 points from five matches.
The opening five minutes were evenly contested, but Senegal gradually began to impose themselves and took the lead in the ninth minute. Diallo received the ball from the right, moved into the box and finished from a narrow angle past India goalkeeper Jenit Ningthoujam. It was the first time India had fallen behind in the tournament, and Senegal quickly built on that advantage.
Diallo struck again two minutes later after carrying the ball into the area from the left before firing a powerful left-footed effort into the far top corner. Senegal made it 3-0 in the 14th minute when Pierre Mbengue played a through ball for Kanfom, who rounded the advancing goalkeeper and finished into an empty net.
India struggled to contain Senegal’s movement in the final third, and Diallo completed his hat-trick in the 18th minute by finishing a cutback from Kanfom. Mbengue added the fifth in the 23rd minute after Jenit had initially saved his effort in a one-on-one situation, only for the rebound to fall back to the Senegal midfielder.
Senegal continued to press after the restart and Diallo scored his fourth in the 31st minute. He received a pass from Kanfom inside the box, created space with a feint and finished to make it 6-0.
India responded two minutes later with their only goal of the match. Deepak Singh Arambam drove a low cross into the box on the counter-attack and substitute Ronandev Aheibam arrived to finish first time in the 33rd minute.
Despite the heavy defeat, India’s earlier results were enough to secure third place in Group K. Cameroon and Senegal both finished on 12 points and qualified for Tiers A and B respectively, while India moved into Tier C, where teams will compete for positions 65th to 96th. Bahrain and Laos finished with four points each and entered Tiers D and E, while Grenada, with one point, moved into Tier F.
The tournament stage will now be played in a knockout format, with all 189 participating teams continuing to compete for final positions until the last day on October 30.
India U15 Starting 8: Jenit Ningthoujam (GK), Nara Meitei Loushambam, Muhammad Sohil Khan, Soumojit Sarkar, Birjit Singh Amom, R Lalremruatfela (C), Macdonnish Ngairangbam, Deepak Singh Arambam.
Substitutes: Dhannya Desai (GK), Pratham Kumar, Nibas Meetei Wahengbam, C Lalhmingropuia, Victor Lalawmpuia, Ronandev Aheibam.
