India loses, but wins heart

South Korea stamped its authority on the Indian team by an amazing display of one touch football with silky passing. South Korea had replicated the style and class with which Barcelona plays. The Koreans were just way better than what the Indian contingent had to offer.


The scoreline of 4-1 against the Indians may be flattering, but not for those who saw the match on their television or the stadium. Had the Koreans taken this match more seriously, it could have read 8-1. The Koreans are always a top notch side. They have been playing Fifa World cup regularly. India had already witnessed their 90 minutes before the 1^st minute whistle blew. The only question that arose was how many goals?

India faced a major blow in the initial minutes of the game when Renedy Singh, the hero of the previous game had to be substituted. Within the 1st 10 minutes, the Koreans were ahead by 2 goals.  The Indians got back into the match with a goal from a spot kick by Chettri. The Indians were lucky enough to be just 3 goals behind in the 1^st half. There were many goal line clearances. The Indian defense also faltered against the tricky Koreans.


Like previous matches, India performed better in the 2^nd half. They were playing with more zeal. Subrata Paul came up with some brilliant saves to make his Curriculum Vitae look better. He was the best player for India along with Sunil chettri for the entire tournament. The Indian defense tried to sort out things in the back against some intelligent creativity by the Koreans. Still, they were left wanting.

The introduction of Bhaichung Bhutia brought some life into the game. It may well be his last match in International colours for India. But maybe not! He injected a passion into each player. They suddenly looked a different unit. Some strings of passes were put together with the objective of scoring a well crafted goal to put a smile across Bob Houghton, who worked hard with this bunch of Indian players. They were very close to scoring late in the match. It was Cheetri’s header where the Aussie Goalie had to make a diving save. Had it gone in, it would have been a well written script.

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The final whistle also brought the curtains down for Team India, who can return back to India with their heads held high. Here on, every football fan would demand better results. Now, there will be lots of expectations from the team when they play in the near future.


They did not let anyone down. They put up an inspiring performance. No one expected them to turn the world upside down with their recital. They lacked on many counts. It was there for everyone to see. But on the positive front, they have placed themselves on the map of Asian football. Things are bound to improve.


Courtesy - Sports Keeda

Posted in: Team India for Asian Cup - Qatar 2011