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As the much awaited FIFA U17 World Cup took off on 6th October at New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, hosts India were seen battling their best against the USA. However, the debut match for India did not prove to be quite fruitful with the host team losing to the USA with a 0-3 scoreline.
That, however, was just the first match for the country and Indian fans are hoping for a proud victory soon. India will be facing Colombia in their next match today, once again at New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. While the nation gears up for the upcoming match, India and Colombia have a history that did not prove to be quite fortunate for the Indian youngsters.
The same Indian Colts squad faced Colombia in the Four Nation Tournament in Mexico City before the World Cup where victory was not in store for the youngsters. The India U17 team lost 1-5 to the Mexican team in the first game of the tournament and were once again defeated by Colombia with a 3-0 loss at the Centro de Alto Rendimiento on 4th August earlier this year.
The young team were met with a goal in the eighth minute of the game against Colombia. Despite trying to equalise, the Colombian team managed to keep them at bay, finally ending the first half with a 2-0 score. India's hopes were finally dashed when Colombia scored their third goal, just two minutes into the second half.
Keeping in mind India's recent history with Colombia and the loss against the USA, fans are eager to see their country shine. Even though it can be speculated that Colombia are the stronger team, they have already faced defeat against Ghana in their first match which did not prove to be a good start for them at the World Cup either. Therefore, the Colombian team will be desperate to notch a first win and boost their goal difference against India today.
Indian skipper Amarjit Singh stated that the team has immense respect for the Colombian side and their game. He went on to say that today's match is a question of proving their mettle and battling for survival, as a result of which they will go all out to fix a spot for themselves in the next stage.
With confidence from the Indian skipper himself, here's hoping that the team is able to brush aside the ghost of their first loss and emerge victorious. The match kicks off at 8 pm IST and will be broadcasted live on the Sony Network.
