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There are two traditional footballing powerhouses of India – Kolkata and Goa. While the North East has been a more recent addition as a powerhouse, the state on the Western Ghats has long been etched in the memory of the Indian football fans. Here, we take a look at all the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup matches to be held at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, also known as the Fatorda Stadium, in Goa.
Goa has been a venue has already hosted many big matches over the past. From the hotly contested rivalries between Goan clubs like Dempo, Sporting Clube de Goa and Churchill Brothers, and Kolkata heavyweights like East Bengal and Mohun Bagan. Now, the Fatorda Stadium is all set to host two absolute giants from the world of football.
Most of the matches at the Fatorda Stadium are from Group C, which comprises of Germany, Costa Rica, Iran and New Guinea. The exploits of the Germans in the FIFA tournaments are known all too well, and the Goan football fans can now look forward to some scintillating football from Die Nationalmannschaft.
Costa Rica, Iran and Guinea, who join Germany in Group C, have also had the reputation of being some of the better teams in their respective continental competitions, and could pose some kind of a threat to the Germans. A race to the second spot in the group could be expected between these three.
The Fatorda Stadium is also set to host one match from Group D, a match that could be of some special interest to the Goan populace – Niger vs Brazil. The fact that Brazil are one of the most famous football teams in the world is not the only thing that could draw the attention of the Goan fans.
Like Brazil, Goa was also once a Portuguese colony. The colonisers may have left, but they have left behind a lot of influences in the state – football being one of them. It will be interesting to see whether the Selecao are able to draw support to the 19,000-seater arena during the World Cup.
Schedule for the 2017 FIFA U-17 matches to be held at the Fatorda Stadium, in Goa
Group Stage:
October 7:
Germany vs Costa Rica- 17:00 GROUP C
Iran vs Guinea- 20:00 GROUP C
October 10:
Costa Rica vs Guinea - 17:00 GROUP C
Iran vs Germany - 20:00 GROUP C
October 13:
Costa Rica vs Iran - 17:00 GROUP C
Niger vs Brazil - 20:00 GROUP D
Round of 16:
October 17:
[1C] v/s [3A/B/F] 17:00
[2B] v/s [2F] 20:00
Quarter Finals:
October 21:
[W38] vs [W41] 20:00
