India’s campaign at the AFC U20 Asian Cup qualifiers mirrored a recurring challenge faced by the senior national team – lack of finishing. The Blue Colts came agonizingly close to qualifying for the AFC U20 Asian Cup China 2025, in what was their best attempt in over two decades. Unfortunately, despite their efforts, they missed out by the narrowest of margins. An anxious end The team entered their final Group G match against Laos with a clear objective: secure a win and hope the results from other groups would work in their favor. After a strong victory over Mongolia (4-1) and a narrow defeat to IR Iran (0-1), India had to win against Laos to keep their qualification hopes alive. The Blue Colts did their part, defeating Laos 2-0, but their fate depended on results from other games. The qualification format saw the group winners and the five best second-placed teams advance to the final tournament. Despite their win against Laos, India’s fate remained uncertain as they anxiously awaited the results of other matches across …