COTIF Cup 2018: Anwar Ali scores a belter of a free-kick in India U20's 2-1 win over Argentina U20; watch video
What’s the story?
Having overpowered six-time U-20 World Cup champions, Argentina, with ten men on the field, the Blue Colts registered a historic win in what ended with a scoreline of 2-1. The ongoing COTIF Cup in Spain has witnessed some quality football, and there is some more to come. Amid all the excitement, young defender, Anwar Ali netted a banger of a free kick that helped the young Blues conquer the Argentine side on Monday.
In case you didn’t know…
The COTIF Cup kicked off on July 29, 2018 in Valencia, Spain. The Indian squad that has travelled overseas for the tournament consists of a mix of U-20 boys who represented the nation at the FIFA U-17 World Cup along with the AFC U-19 Qualifiers that took place last year.
Heart of the matter
With an illustrious career that took off back in 2005, Anwar Ali scored a stunning free kick for India. The left back’s attempt curled over the Argentine defence wall, hit the goal post, only to find the back of the net. Ali, who was a part of the Indian squad that played at the U-17 FIFA World Cup, has played for a number of big guns – the two Kolkata giants – Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, Delhi Dynamos, ATK, before signing with Ranbir Kapoor’s Mumbai City FC this year.
Here is Anwar’s sensational finish that led India to a momentous victory against Argentina.
The teams went into the tunnel at the 45-minute mark with the Indians leading by a goal to none. Soon into the second half of the fixture, Aniket Jadhav was shown the red card by the referee, resulting in the Colts being reduced down to ten men – in spite of which they kept their spirits up and displayed sheer resilience and quality football. Goalkeeper, Prabhsukhan Gill made some noteworthy saves in front of the Indian goal, but unfortunately could not keep a clean sheet.
What’s next?
The final of this year’s edition of the COTIF Cup is to be held on August 8. It will be interesting to watch how the rest of the remaining tournament unfolds for the participant teams and which countries battle it out for the trophy.
Let us know what you think of Anwar Ali’s goal in the comments section below!