BRICS U-17 Cup 2016 : India 1-3 Brazil - 5 Talking Points
India’s U-17 side produced a creditable performance in a 1-3 loss to Brazil at the GMC Stadium in Bambolim, Goa as the Indian Colts BRICS Cup journey came to and end with 4 straight losses. Brenner Silva opened the scoring for Brazil in the 2nd minute, but Komal Thatal produced a stunning solo goal to draw India level in the 18th minute. Marcos Antonio’s 29th minute strike gave Brazil the lead again, and Vinicius de Oliviera finished things off in the 82nd minute.
However, India’s performance was truly magnificent, as put in perhaps the toughest fight Brazil faced in the tournament, bar Russia.
Here are five talking points from the game:
#1 A fantastic result for India
It’s odd to call a 3-1 defeat a fantastic result, but this is Brazil we are talking about here. The U-17 version of the Selecao had been swatting teams aside with disdain in the BRICS Cup before, and India exited the tournament by being the only side to score against them. Ahead of the game, many were predicting a heavy loss for the Indians, myself included, and a well-fought defeat was much easier to stomach.
What this result does is provide India a yardstick – given our senior side’s dismal ranking, there was a lot of nervousness about India being humiliated in the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup. However, we now have proof that the Indian Colts can go toe-to-toe with the best in world football, and not be showed up on the world stage.
It’s still a 3-1 defeat, though, which underlines that this very talented U-17 side still has a lot of room for improvement. Given that they managed to cause Brazil plenty of problems, it is obvious that there is a strong base to work on. More bright performances like this, full of running, and this U-17 side will win plenty of future fans that will cheer them on next year.