Brazil’spedigreewasknown, butIranhavebeenarevelation
Iran defeating Germany could be the equivalent of USA beating England in men’s 1950 World Cup
KOLKATA: On the first day India showed heart, on the last New Caledonia made history. In between, there were numerous examples of teenagers with enough promise to go the way of Christian Pulisic who has made the transition to playing with men look a lot easier than it is.
And as game days came and went, India showed that while the question of whether it cares for football is one for the future, it sure does love this under-17 World Cup. That Brazil would comfortably make it out of the group stage wasn’t unexpected. But the way Iran and England qualified for the round of 16 certainly was. Iran’s dismantling of Germany could be the equivalent of the USA trumping England in the men’s 1950 World Cup.
Lincoln has shown that such a weighty name sits lightly on his 17-year-old shoulders after Brazil kicked off their campaign with a self-goal just like they did in the last men’s World Cup. And in Paulinho he has an able partner to share attacking responsibilities just as in Gabriel Brazao they have a solid shot-stopper.
But from the time Allahyar Sayyad turned and rifled a rightfooter into the top corner contributing to a Guinea meltdown to the way they punctured German pride with Younes Delfi will be mentioned every time there is a conversation about this World Cup. “My players got scared and showed too much respect to the opponents,” said Germany coach Christian Wuck.
Iran, the Asian runners-up, won all their group league games along with Paraguay, France, Brazil and England. The Asian champions, Iraq, too got through from a difficult group, a 0-4 drubbing by England taking the sheen off a combative draw against Mexico and a clinical dismantling of Chile. “Who would have thought we would qualify from this group,” said Iraq coach Qahtan Chitheer.
Neither France nor Paraguay could keep a clean sheet in any of their games on way to topping their groups. England did that for two games, once without eight regulars. They have made connections in the front third that could be the pride of several senior teams. And England coach Steve Cooper has already given 20 of his 21 players game time.
Jodan Sancho, Philip Foden, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Joel Latibeaudiere should be names that will serve football well along with France’s Amine Gouiri who takes the Fifa’s slogan ‘go for goals’ very seriously. And should that happen, India will be where it really started for all of them.
For India this competition would have been an eyeopener as to how difficult the game is even at the under-17 level. But except for the second half against Ghana when they just didn’t have the legs, they showed a lot of pluck. And with a bit of luck could have got their first point after Jeakson Singh made history.
New Caledonia got there, against a second-string Japan and then exited with a flourish. Or should we say, a string somersaults.
NEW DELHI ROCKS
Nearly 1 lakh people fetched up over two India match days in New Delhi and that should count among the positives. ‘You seemed to have filled the place,” Paul Simon had said at New York’s Central Park during the 1981 reunion concert with Art Garfunkel. The world watching the vibrant throng at JLN Stadium that could hold 58,000 could have said pretty much the same.
The way New Delhi bought into India’s games could be something to build on if football really has to take over. True, like at most men’s World Cups, the story of empty seats got traction but it also showed that demand for tickets in this World Cup was way above the under-17 average.
Sponsors (or partners as Fifa calls them) wasting tickets though isn’t new to this 24-team event ---- Google ticket scandal at football World Cups and you will get nearly 11 lakh results --- nor is India’s ‘babus’ needing to be obliged with wads of them, a lot of which isn’t utilised.
But when Angel Gomes, who kicks a ball at Manchester United, says he never expected so many people and when Cooper says the way India has reacted would be unheard of about a ‘development tournament’ in Europe. So, bring on the knockout rounds.
IRAN, THE ASIAN RUNNERSUP, WON ALL THEIR LEAGUE GAMES ALONG WITH PARAGUAY, FRANCE, BRAZIL AND ENGLAND. THE ASIAN CHAMPIONS, IRAQ, TOO GOT THROUGH FROM A DIFFICULT GROUP