The Indian U-20 national team earned their most memorable result in recent times by beating their Argentinian counterparts 2-1 in a COTIF Cup 2018 encounter held in Spain, on Monday.
Argentina are the most decorated side in the U-20 age category having been crowned World Champions a record six times.
The All India Football Federation was quick to congratulate the Indian team on its unique feat.
Mark the date when history was made. Yes, our U20 boys have humbled @Argentina- the most successful team in @FIFAcom U-20 World Cup history in the ongoing @Cotif tournament today. #BackTheBlue #WeAreIndia pic.twitter.com/PFBtNnlE6m
— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) August 6, 2018
Deepak Tangri scored from a corner taken by Ninthoiganba Meetei in the fourth minute for India to give the side the perfect start. Spurred by the early goal, India continued to keep the pressure on and looked to consolidate their lead by scoring another goal before half-time. Suresh Singh Wangjam and Boris Singh Thangjam were both fantastic throughout the first half but the team were not able to add to their lead before the interval.
In the second half, the Colts continued to look good on the ball while looking for the second goal but met with a speed bump when Aniket Jadhav was sent off in the 54th minute reducing the side to 10 men.
Floyd Pinto’s boys managed to hold their shape in defence as the Argentines attacked in numbers. India’s ability to hold off the pressure paid off when a brilliantly struck free kick by Anwar Ali struck the inside of the woodwork and nestled in the back of the net to give India an unexpected 2-0 lead after 68 minutes.
Argentina did score 4 minutes later to give themselves a chance of salvaging the match with 18 mins left on the clock. India were defending for their lives during the final knockings of the game and were fortunate to hold onto their lead when a late Argentine attempt hit the crossbar and stayed out during the fifth minute of stoppage time.
The team coached by Pinto had endured a torrid time in the tournament thus far, losing two of their first three matches. After a 2-0 loss to Murcia and a 3-0 loss to Mauritania, Pinto’s side finally managed to hold Venezuela to a goalless draw.