India U-15 rally to beat Bahrain 4-3 in Baku to stay top of Group K
India U-15 defeated Bahrain 4-3 at the Hovsan Competition Complex Pitch 9A in Baku on Monday, October 26, 2026, in a Group K match of the FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival Azerbaijan 2026, maintaining their position at the top of the group. The Blue Colts recovered from a brief second-half deficit to claim the three points.
The match featured a flurry of goals across both halves: Macdonnish Ngairangbam opened in the 16th minute and R Lalremruatfela doubled the lead in the 19th, before Bahrain struck back with Rashed Abdulrahman (28') and Zeyad Aun (29') to level. Lalremruatfela scored again in the 38th minute and Nibas Meetei Wahengbam added a 39th-minute rebound to make it 4-2, with Aun reducing the margin with a late long-range effort in the final minute. Simultaneous Group K results saw Senegal beat Laos 9-0 and Cameroon beat Grenada 4-1, leaving India on 10 points from four matches, Senegal and Cameroon on nine each, Bahrain on four, and Laos and Grenada on one apiece.
Both sides began cautiously and exchanged possession in the opening stages, with India probing down the left through R Lalremruatfela and Muhammad Sohil Khan. Muhammad Sohil Khan attempted a long-range volley in the seventh minute that went wide, and Bahrain's Ridha Ebrahim tested India’s defence with a sequence that included a free-kick that went over the bar in the 12th minute. Nara Meitei Loushambam curled a free-kick narrowly wide in the 13th, and Bahrain goalkeeper Abdulla Alrowaiei rushed off his line to deny Macdonnish in a one-on-one in the 14th.
India broke the deadlock in the 16th minute when captain Birjit Singh Amom set up Macdonnish Ngairangbam, who finished first-time from the edge of the area. Jenit Ningthoujam then produced a leaping save to keep out Rashed Abdulrahman shortly after that opening goal. Two minutes later, R Lalremruatfela won possession in the attacking third and curled a left-footed finish into the far corner to make it 2-0 at half-time.
Bahrain started the second half with urgency and came close when Deepak Singh Arambam volleyed over from a Birjit cross in the 26th minute. The visitors then struck twice in quick succession: Rashed Abdulrahman unleashed a long-range shot into the top corner in the 28th, and Zeyad Aun headed in an equaliser from a Sayed Alalawi set-piece delivery in the 29th.
India responded late in the half, with Soumojit Sarkar finding R Lalremruatfela in the 38th; Lalremruatfela controlled and finished to restore the lead. A minute later Lalremruatfela ran down the left and picked out Nibas Meetei Wahengbam, whose initial header was blocked before he hammered the rebound into the roof of the net. Zeyad Aun scored a long-range effort in the final minute for Bahrain, but India held on to secure the win, a result that confirmed a top-three finish for the Blue Colts in the group.
India's starting eight against Bahrain were Jenit Ningthoujam (GK), Nara Meitei Loushambam, Muhammad Sohil Khan, Soumojit Sarkar, Birjit Singh Amom (C), R Lalremruatfela, Macdonnish Ngairangbam and Deepak Singh Arambam, with substitutes Dhannya Desai (GK), Pratham Kumar, Nibas Meetei Wahengbam, C Lalhmingropuia, Victor Lalawmpuia and Ronandev Aheibam available. The match was the first game of the final day of the group stage and was played under coach Bibiano Fernandes’ direction.
India will play Senegal in their fifth and final Group K fixture at 21:00 IST on October 26, 2026; the match will be streamed live on DAZN. A victory against Senegal will guarantee India the top spot and entry into Tier A of the competition stage, while a draw will suffice if Cameroon fail to beat Bahrain.