#365DaysOfWriting – Day 119
India 4 – Puerto Rico 1
No this isn’t the Davis Cup.
This isn’t a one-sided bilateral cricket series score line (where Puerto Rico shocked us in one match).
This, ladies and gentlemen, is the score of a football game between India and Puerto Rico. It was a friendly, recognised by FIFA, against a team ranked almost 40 places higher, and vastly more experienced. What’s more, Puerto Rico scored the opening goal within 7 minutes of kick-off.
The best gift Ganpati Bappa could give football fans in the city.
International football returned to Mumbai after 61 years. And what a return! Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, the captain, saw Sunil Chhetri, Narayan Das, Jeje Lalpekhlua and Jackichand Singh hit the back of the net. The man of the moment though, was Chhetri – whether it was his goal, or creating chances, viciously curling in free kicks – he showed the world why he’s so important to India’s football plans.
This game was played at Andheri Sports Complex – a stone’s throw away from home. Alas I had to watch it on TV – couldn’t go to the stadium. Next time there’s a football game there (FIFA U17 World Cup) I am going, come what may.
Why is this game so important for India?
This shows true progress. We beat Afghanistan in the SAFF final in January. And now Puerto Rico. They both may be in our quarter of the rankings, but they’re still higher ranked teams, and we beat both of them. This gives fans (like me) hope of seeing India at least qualify for a FIFA World Cup in our lifetime. I know we’ve qualified for the U17 World Cup (and we’ve got a good team) but that is because we’re hosting the event. A good showing there and… who knows? Sky’s the limit, as the cliche goes!
