FIFA U-17 World Cup: India puts up gritty performance against Colombia; unfortunately loses match
New Delhi, October 10: Indian football team on Monday showed up a gritty performance and played with more coordinate manner but unfortunately lost to Colombia by 1-2 in a Group A match which was held in New Delhi on Monday. Defensive midfielder Jeakson Thounaojam was the lone Indian player to score the goal in a match.
Notably, a charged up India produced one of their finest performances before going down to Colombia 1-2 in a Group A match. At half-time, the teams were goalless. The encounter at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium witnessed the country's first ever FIFA World Cup goal. Defensive midfielder Jeakson Thounaojam neutralized Colombia's lead by scoring the historic goal in the 82nd minute.
But that was not to be enough as Juan Penaloza in 83rd minute scored his second of the night on the counter to leave the home players, as well as the crowd go quiet. However, it was India's second defeat after losing to the United States 0-3 in their tournament-opener. India will play their third and final group game against Ghana on Thursday in New Delhi at 8 PM.
Meanwhile, Paraguay and the United States have confirmed their spots in the knockout stage of the tournament by recording two wins in as many matches. In a Group B encounter at Navi Mumbai on Monday, Paraguay defeated New Zealand 4-2. In a Group A game in New Delhi, the United States beat Ghana 1-0.
In another match played at Navi Mumbai, African champions Mali outclassed Turkey 3-0 in Group B to keep alive their chances. Ghana is also still in the race for the knockout phase, as they had won against Colombia in their first match.
In the two Group C fixtures in Goa today, Costa Rica will take on Guinea at 5 PM, while Iran will meet Germany at 8 PM at Fatorda near Madgaon. In Group D matches in Kochi, Spain will face Niger at 5 PM and Brazil will play against North Korea at 8 PM.