WAFF Under-16 Championships: Vikram Pratap Singh bags hat-trick as India defeat Jordan 4-0

Vikram Pratap Singh scored a hat-trick as India Under-16 defeated hosts Jordan 4-0 in their first match of the 5th WAFF U-16 Championship at the King Abdullah II Stadium in Jordan on August 1.

Vikram opened the scoring in the 43rd minute and then added two more in the 61st and the 73rd minutes to complete his hat-trick before Bekey Oram completed the rout in the 84th minute.

The match started at a slow pace with both the teams hooked on to a ‘safety-first’ approach and no one could garner a clear chance. Givson, operating as the distributor in the middle, floated a looping ball from the left wing for Vikram in the 13th minute but the Jordanian goalkeeper came out to clear it away.

It was, however, Vikram who broke the deadlock two minutes to the half-time from inside the six-yard box.

India earned a free-kick at an acute angle following a harsh challenge on Bekey Oram. As Givson ran a dummy, Vikram opted to take a short free-kick to Ridge who passed it onto Rohit Danu. The forward outfoxed the Jordanian defender to unleash a low delivery for Vikram who tapped it in.

Changing over, the game sprang into life when Indian goalkeeper Niraj Kumar made two valiant efforts to deny the hosts from scoring the equaliser.

Just as the clock crossed the hour-mark, Vikram doubled the lead from another well-crafted move by Bekey. The stocky midfielder outpaced the defender down the left flank and put it forward for Danu in the clear. The resultant pass from Danu was calmly tapped home by Vikram to make it 2-0.

Having seated firmly at the top, India opted to press more to secure a handsome victory. In the 73rd minute, Rohit pressed the Jordan goalkeeper hard who ended up passing the ball to Givson at the edge of the box. He delivered a looping ball to an unmarked Vikram who blasted it in.

Head coach Bibiano Fernandes introduced Ravi Bahadur Rana and Sailo in the 75th minute in place of Vikram and Givson respectively. The duo played a crucial role in building up the fourth goal of the night which was converted exquisitely by Bekey Oram in the 84th minute.