The Indian U-20 national team created history when they defeated Argentina U-20 by a scoreline of 2-1 in their COTIF Cup 2018 encounter in Spain. The ‘Boys in Blue’ were up against the six-times U-20 Champions against whom they notched up one of their most memorable wins.
Deepak Tangri scored in the 4th minute for India before Aniket Jadhav was sent off in the 50th minute, after which Anwar Ali doubled the lead in the 68th minute before Argentina pulled one back in the 72nd minute.
“This victory will definitely earn Indian Football more respect in the world of football. It opens up a window of opportunity to test ourselves against the best in the World on a regular basis,” exclaimed Floyd Pinto, the coach of the national side.
This victory is a major boost for Pinto’s side that ost against Murcia U-20 (2-0) and Mauritania U-20 (3-0) and held Venezuela U-20 to a goalless draw in their previous engagements of the COTIF Cup.
Interestingly, this win comes weeks after national coach Stephen Constantine criticised the Indian team’s performance at the U-17 World Cup describing it mediocre and the hype surrounding as unjustified. The Indian team was also not allowed to participate in the Asian Games after being denied clearance by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).
