New Delhi: India U-17 team’s performance over the two games in the ongoing World Cup has showcased their resilience. Against USA, in their first taste of competition at the highest stage, they showed glimpses of the hard work they had put in to imbibe the fundamentals of the game. Then in the second, against Colombia, they made it difficult for the South Americans to find the back of the net.
Historically, Indian teams are vulnerable to threat from set-pices and crosses. But the curent squad is displaying an unyielding obduracy in face of aerial attacks.
In the post-match conference, India U-17 squad’s Portuguese coach, Luis Norton de Matos, stressed upon this point. When asked about India’s strength, he said, “We are very strong in organisation (in defence). The boys have shown a lot of concentration and proved that scoring against us will be very difficult.”
Even his opposite number from Colombia, Orlando Restrepo, talked about India’s centre backs. “It’s hard for me to remember their names. The two centre-backs (Anwar Ali and Namit Deshpande), did an unbelievable job. They kept the Indian team organized and had a successful game. I repeat that it was a balanced game. They (the Indian players) did everything they could,” Restrepo said.
Still India conceded two, one just after the breather while the Colombian winner came a minute after India’s equaliser. “After we scored, it was like a dream for the players. It is exactly the point we will have to improve upon and concentrate more. It will come with experience,” said de Matos.
The coach has been harping upon emotional management and maturity from the day he took charge of the young crop. “The problem was that we scored towards the end of the game. The happiness of the players after scoring saw them lose concentration. We don’t have this experience. The boys were living the dream still when Colombia scored.”
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