India colts stun Argentina, Iraq in football

PANAJI: India U-20 coach Floyd Pinto had a ready answer when a Spanish journalist asked him what India would want to take home from the COTIF Cup in Valencia.

India were playing in the tournament for the first time, and not many expected them to punch above their weight against regulars like Argentina, Venezuela and Mauritania. This was unfamiliar territory for India, and having taken over from Portuguese coach Luis Norton de Matos just 10 days earlier, even Floyd didn’t seem entirely sure.

"I would be happy if the Spanish people have more respect for Indian football by the end of this tournament," Pinto told the eager journalist.

In the opener, India didn't do themselves any favour as they lost to Mauritania. Next up was an encouraging draw against U-20 Fifa World Cup runnersup Venezuela, but the icing on the cake was a stunning 2-1 win over Argentina that made everyone sit up and take notice on Monday.

Deepak Tangri's fourth-minute goal was a lucky break for India as the Argentina goalkeeper allowed the ball to slip out of his hands. A red card to Aniket Jadhav in the 50th minute meant there was additional pressure, but it was Anwar Ali who became the cynosure after scoring, arguably, the goal of the tournament from a freekick.

For almost a minute after the ball sailed into the top corner of the net, the spectators were up on their feet, applauding. Nobody even expected the ball to hit the target from that distance but Anwar knew better, having practised set-pieces almost every day in training. For Floyd, this was vindication of what they have been training for and confirmation of Indian football's newfound status came when the organisers extended an invitation to take part in next year's tournament.

Venezuela and Argentina still made it to the semifinals from the group, while India bowed out, knowing they at least had the confidence to take on the more established teams.

The victory came hours after India scored a memorable win over AFC U-16 Championship winners Iraq in the WAFF U-16 Championship in Jordan. The same team that took the lead against Japan in a previous game had now edged out Iraq, although it's no secret that the champion were crippled after nine of their players were found to be overage and sent home.

In India, the victory over Argentina was also met with some scepticism. Remember the victory over ‘Italy' that proved to be a fraud? But this was different. This was the Argentina national team that had players from academies like Boca Juniors, Inter Milan and Newell's. And in the dugout was regular coach Lionel Scaloni, a 2006 World Cupper, and the legendary Pablo Aimar as technical director.

"This victory should not be misconstrued. This doesn't mean that we will qualify for the U-20 World Cup, but this (win) gives us a new belief," said Floyd.