With the U-17 World Cup just round the corner, the government and the Sports Minister are trying their utmost to promote the game. But no amount of promotion can match an international triumph. You can do all the grass root level programmes that you want, but if your national side doesn’t perform well in the international circuit, it is very difficult to bring the game to the masses.
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The U-17 Indian Football Team recorded a historic win over the U-17 Italian team, beating them 2-0 in their own backyard to send the nation into a frenzy. People took to social media to express their jubilation on India’s win, and suddenly there has been a lot of talk going around about the U-17 World Cup. Victories work a zillion times better than all the promotional activities taken together.
With Italy having such a rich footballing history, this win for the young colts is no mean feat. The sporting infrastructure in both these countries is not even comparable, hence this victory is even more sweeter, and with the U-17 World Cup just round the corner, this win would act as a huge boost to the mindset of our young footballers.
Abhijit Sarkar opened the scoring for the Indians around the half way mark. A helpful deflection off an Italian defenders foot landed the ball in the back of the net to give the Indians a deserved lead.
Rahul Kannoly Praveen then finsihed off the game in the second half, when a weak clearance from the Italian goalkeeper gifted him an easy opportunity to score.
The Indian boys played some really attractive, fast paced football, attracting cheers from the modest crowd that had come in to watch the game.
Watch the full highlights:
