The Roar Of The Blue Cubs

After a loss to the USA in the tournament opener, not many gave India Under 17 ‘Blue Cubs’ any chance against the strongly-built Colombian side. 

However, just after 45 minutes into the game, Colombian coach Orlando Restrepo looked the most rattled person around the field.

It’s a different story that Indians lost 1-2 to a side which was not just superior technically but also in physical aspects. The South Americans controlled the ball in the middle, kept better possession and eventually ended up with more shots on goal. 

But there was one thing where Indians had total control — and that is their emotions. But for that duration of one minute, soon after scoring their first-ever goal in a FIFA World Cup and let Colombia score one quickly on the counter, Indians never allowed the South Americans to have any free run inside. That’s why opponent coach Restrepo came up with praise for Indian central defensive pairing of Anwar Ali and Namit Desphpande.

“India played very well. Congratulations to the players and coach. They defended well and they were very organised. We just felt that we had to be patient to get the opportunities to score,” Restrepo said after the match. India captain Amarjit Singh said, “It was a case of bad luck.”

One man who has made October 9, 2017 an unforgettable for the Indian football fans is the defensive mid-fielder Jeakson Thounaojam with his 82nd minute equaliser.

Jeakson now believes that “his team has in it the potential to beat Ghana in the Group A’s last outing” 

“We believe we can win against Ghana. We will be together and we will fight for this win,” said hero of that glorious moment, Jeakson. 

Jeakson is Amarjit’s first cousin and the captain said, “I am feeling very proud that he scored the country’s first goal in a World Cup.”

Jeakson said, “It was a nice experience and I felt on cloud nine when I scored the goal. However, we tried our best but were unlucky. It is obviously a great feeling to score for my country but it would have been sweeter had we won the match,” added Jeakson, who believes that said India deserved a result in their favour. 

Jeakson hails from from Haokha Mamang village in Manipur’s Thoubal district. It has not been a smooth ride for this six-feet tall lad as he was earlier rejected by the national selectors in 2015 for ‘being too tall for his age’.

It was his philosophy that “our fate is in our hands” that always saved him from any kind of negative thoughts. And to him also the famous header which has made him an instant hero across millions of homes across India has not just came as any surprise. He has practised tirelessly for years while growing up as a footballer to master it. 

“I had practised for that. It didn’t come off naturally, but with a lot of training,” said Jeakson, adding: “Before Colombia game also, we had discussed about the position that who will take the first post (goalpost) and the second post. Rahim Ali had been picked to go for the first post originally and I’ll manage the second post. 

“But, as Sanjeev Stalin took his position for the corner kick, we changed the position and I went for the first post. I had always expected that the ball would come to me. I had a feeling that Stalin would curl the ball towards me and I was mentally prepared to take that giant leap for the memorable goal.”

Jeakson’s hardships and rejection by coaches made him mentally stronger. But his journey from  humble background to stardom of U-17 WC is nothing short of a fairy tale. 

“I had to make a lot of changes to my game after being ignored by our former coach Nicolai Adam,” Jeakson, who was part of the Chandigarh Football Academy then, spoke about his rejection by former coach Adam in 2015.

Jeakson, whose mother is a vegetable seller, is sure that his team will play with its full intensity against Ghana to in the last game. “We will try to win. We know Ghana players are strong built, but we are up for the challenge,” his voice filled with hope.