Needing only a point to wrap up the title, Diamond Harbour were trailing from the 50th minute after Marcus Joseph gave Dempo SC the lead. A goal in the first minute of injury time ensured that they secured 29 points, thus winning their maiden IFL title, with a match to spare. The side from West Bengal won their third promotion in as many seasons after winning the I-League 3 and I-League 2 in the previous campaigns
The loss not only knocked India out of the continental tournament but also dashed their hopes of earning a historic berth at the FIFA U17 World Cup Qatar 2026. With the win, Uzbekistan secured qualification alongside Australia, with the two sides now set to battle for the top spot in the group
Australia’s high pressing game set the tone early, as Luke Becvinovski (4’) opened the scoring, before Max Court (29’) doubled the lead from the penalty spot. Second-half goals from Luka Demuth (74’) and Henrique Oliveira (86’) sealed the result for the Australians
Young Tigresses show resilience and attacking intent despite a 2-0 defeat to Australia in their AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup opener, with promising second-half performance; India now prepare for a challenging Group B clash against Japan on May 5
A hat-trick from Skye Halmarick (38’ pen., 39’, 48’) gave Australia a dominant lead, before Danella Brutus (54’) and Daisy Brown (90+4’) added further goals. With this result, India remain bottom of Group C, yet to pick up a point after two matches.
Six-time champions Japan got the lead early on through an own goal by Thoibisana Chanu Toijam (12’ og). However, it was not until the second half that they really managed to start hurting the Young Tigresses, with Miki Kimura (54’), Noa Fukushima (57’), Natsumi Tago (75’), Miyu Matsunaga (81’), and Yura Honda (87’) netting one each
Placed in a challenging Group C alongside heavyweights Japan, Vietnam and Chinese Taipei, India faced an uphill task from the outset. Their campaign began with a narrow 1–2 loss to Vietnam, a match that offered early signs of promise but ultimately ended in heartbreak after conceding late
