New Delhi: One-time reject Jeakson Thounaojam became the first-ever Indian footballer to score in a World Cup on Monday when his header breached the Colombian defence during their second Group A match of the FIFA U-17 World Cup at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi.
Despite all the brouhaha surrounding India hosting a football World Cup, not many witnessed the historic feat. Relive the moment here:
#Jeakson scores the FIRST goal for @IndianFootball in @FIFAcom World Cup history! #BackTheBlue #FIFAU17WC #INDvCOL #U17WC #U17WorldCup pic.twitter.com/Ym6PiZ6Tam
— Crossbar Reviews (@crossbarreviews) October 9, 2017
The 16-year-old from Manipur was rejected by the then chief coach Nicolai Adam as national selectors on a country-wide tour to build a team for the U-17 World Cup.
The lanky defensive midfielder then joined Punjab’s Minerva Academy, and by chance, the club got an invitation to play a friendly match with the national under-17 team, where Jeakson scored the lone goal.
That's where he impressed national coach Luis Norton de Matos.
India, however, went on to lose the match 2-1 as Colombia scored the winner moments after Jeakson's goal. With that India are virtually out of the tournament. India lost their opening match against USA 3-0. On Thursday (October 13), they will play the final group match against Ghana.
Top two teams and four best third-placed teams from each group will progress to the Round of 16.
