By Abhishek HoreNew Delhi, Oct 10 (PTI) Captain Amarjit Singh attributedIndia's heartbreaking defeat against Colombia to "bad luck"but was very proud of his first cousin, Jeakson, who scoredthe country's first goal in any FIFA World Cup.
India came agonisingly close to securing their first everdraw, if not a win, in a FIFA tournament when Jeakson SinghThanoujam's bullet header found the back of the net againstColombia in their second group game of the ongoing U-17 WorldCup.
But, the Colombians struck almost immediately on thecounter to restore the lead, leaving the 46,000 turnout at theJawaharlal Nehru Stadium teary-eyed.
"It was a case of bad luck," Amarjit said.
Had India held on, it would have been one unforgettablemoment for Amarjit too, as skipper of the team.
"I am feeling very proud that he scored the country'sfirst goal in a World Cup," Amarjit said of his first cousinwho broke into the team just six months ago.
They are mid-fielders and have been playing in thatposition since the time they were introduced to the sport attheir Haokha Mamang village in Manipur's Thoubal district.
Amarjit repeated the luck factor on a day India hit theframework once, besides coming very close to scoring onanother occasion in the first half. Midfielder Rahul Kannolywas the unfortunate boy in blue, then.
"It was bad luck because the ball hit the post too in thefirst half."It was a much-improved outing by debutants India, threedays after being thrashed 3-0 by USA in their opening Group Aencounter.
Asked to compare the two games, Amarjit said, "USA wasfirst game for everyone in the U-17 World Cup, playing infront of so many people was a very different experience.
"For the next game we knew how the atmosphere was goingto be in the ground."Summing up the experience of playing in the the first twomatches, the skipper said, "It was a great feeling because noteveryone gets to experience this. Every player dreams to playthe World Cup. I have realised my dream. The result was notgood but we gave our 100 percent."Growing up in a football-crazy state in a remote cornerof the country, Amarjit had dreamt of donning the nationalcolours since his childhood.
In the four-nation tournament in Mexico before theshowpiece, India's Portuguese coach Luis Norton de Matos usedAmarjit and Jeakson in two of the three internationalfriendlies.
Having played together for so long, both have developed agood understanding.
Ranjit Rana, technical advisor at I-league club MinervaFC, with whom Jeakson is employed, was at the venue to witnesshis ward's moment of glory.
"You can play him in any position. He has got quickvision, his head work is great, his first touch is good and heruns like a lion," Rana said of the player.
Jeakson's association with Minerva FC started when he wasdrafted into their U-14 side under former India internationalHarjinder Singh. PTI AH PMPM.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.