The last time India played an opponent with a higher rank was two years ago in a friendly. The last time a non-Asian team visited to play in India was way back in 2011. Mumbai’s 61 year long wait to host an international fixture finally came to an end on Saturday, as India host Puerto Rico at the Andheri Sports Complex.

That is how historic, India’s fixture against Puerto Rico is, and, Stephen Constantine and his boys did not disappoint the crowds.

Pre-match woes for Puerto Rico

Only a couple of days before the match, three senior players decided to stay home for Puerto Rico rather than travel to India caused enough problems for the visitors. But their woes dealt a further blow, when “The Blue Hurricanes” missed their connecting flight to Mumbai.

The delay in flight resulted in less time for the Puerto Rican team to practice on the ground and was sent straight into the game. The lack of time for acclimatization to the weather, lack of practice on the pitch, further added to the fatigue of the travel.

Despite Puerto Rico being a higher ranked team in the FIFA rankings, these are not the ideal circumstance under which any team could come and play a match.

Ideal result for Indian football team

Most people expected a tough game for India to move up in the rankings, which turned out a rather easy one for the hosts. Stephen Constantine invoked an attitude in this team that can compete, that can win and that is exactly what they did.

The visitors showed no signs of fatigue in the opening moments of the match. And, Emmanuel Sanchez converted the spot kick early in the game to gain the lead for the “Blue Hurricances”.

Overcoming the deficit seemed a herculean task, but the composed play from the Indian youngsters got the equalizer soon. And, also sealed the fate of the game in the first half itself. Taking a 3-1 lead at the end of the first half, and eventually winning 4-1.

As the referee blew the final whistle, the whole stadium erupted in joy. The Blue Tigers went on to acknowledge the supporters who came to cheer for their national team.

It was an ideal result for the Blue Tigers and the Indian football fans. However, the same cannot be said about the visitors who lost their third consecutive game.

The Indian football team has beaten a higher ranked team, but that came with certain riders. However, the team has progressed exceedingly well, winning five out of seven matches they have played this year. This new look Blue Tigers have set-off to write a new chapter in the history of Indian football and what better place to do it, than in the city of Mumbai.   

Picture Courtesy: IndianExpress