2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup: Jeakson Singh Creates History But Colombia Breaks Indian Hearts

Indian Football team hasn’t had a great start in their 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup campaign as after losing to the USA by 3-0 in their opening game, a heartbreak is what they went through in the second match against Colombia at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Monday.

The Host nation faced their second defeat of the 2017 Fifa Under-17 World Cup after losing to Colombia 2-1 in their second group stage fixture. While Juan Penaloza scored a brace (49’ and 83’) for the visitors, Jeakson Singh created history for India after scoring the first ever FIFA World Cup goal in the 82nd minute.

Jeakson Singh etched his name in Indian football’s history books when the midfielder’s towering header from Sanjeev Stalin’s corner-kick found the back of the net and sent fans into raptures of emotions.

Watch the video here

( Video Source: FVideos )

Jeakson Singh’s historic goal, however, wasn’t enough to seal the first point for India in 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup as Colombia pounced immediately, with an attack after the equalizer, to catch the Indian defense off guard and Juan Penaloza scored his second to hugely dim India’s knockout round dreams. That said, despite the result, Indian football fans surely have tasted a football flavor to savor.

Interestingly, the scoreline at half-time remained 0-0 as the Indian squad was showing great resistance but with 68 percent possession, the away side dominated the game. In the second-half, Penaloza broke the deadlock for Colombia while running into an open space near the box and sending a curling ball just inches above Indian goalkeeper Dheeraj Moirangthem.

While the morale of the host nation suddenly looked down, Colombia took it to their advantage by advancing with regressive attacks on the flanks, where the Indian side was leaving its defense wide open.

India responded with an equalizer in the 82nd minute with Jeakson Singh’s goal, but the celebration of India’s first ever goal FIFA World Cup across all age groups did not last long as Peneloza completed a brace in the very next minute after timing his run to perfection.

In the final moments of the match, India tried really hard to combine and utilize their squad strength to find an equalizer but failed miserably after losing the ball to the strong Colombia attack.

Everything said and done, Jeakson Singh’s goal was definitely a historic moment for Indian football, however, the loss means that the hosts will have to defeat Ghana by a huge margin in their last group game and hope that Colombia loses to the US, if they want to enter the knockout phase.

But still, Jeakson Singh’s 82nd-minute strike was enough to win hearts of Indian football fans they were quick to celebrate India’s first FIFA World Cup Goal on social media.

India will now face Ghana on 12th October in their last group match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi.