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Though India's time at the FIFA U-17 World has come to an end after a 4-0 loss at the hands of Ghana, positives outweigh the negatives for these young boys who have scripted history. Being the first ever Indian side to represent the tri-colour at a major FIFA event, the talented teenagers made the whole country proud, especially with their eye-catching performance against Colombia.
A lot of records are bound to be created in this edition of the U-17 World Cup with this being the first ever FIFA tournament in a land of 1.3 billion people. India's team created quite a few firsts in their maiden World Cup appearance which has literally given the sport a kickstart in this country. Let's take a look at the five such firsts achieved by the Indian U-17 team in the FIFA U-17 World Cup:
#5 Top of the fair play table after two sets of fixtures
Fair play trophy is an accolade which is given to the team playing the sport in the correct way, showing sportsman spirit and respecting the match officials. These and some other criteria make up the scoring pattern and a table is followed during the entire duration of the tournament.
After India's first two group matches against USA and Colombia, the Blues were top of the fair play table in what was a pleasing achievement in their first ever participation.
#4 Expected to reach the record of the highest ever attendance
The current record of the highest total attendance rests with China where 1,231,000 people watched the U-17 World Cup in its first ever edition in 1985. Many countries have tried to reach close to that mark but have not even attained a close enough figure.
India are the first host nation after China to have a solid chance of breaking this record. If not first, India can surely reach the second spot in this illustrious list given the buzz which has been so far created in the country. Cities like Kolkata and New Delhi have seen thousands of people being present at the venue.
In the 2015 U-17 World Cup in Chile, 49 per cent attendance was recorded and even if such a low percentage is recorded in this edition, the total attendance will pass the mark of 10,00,000 at the end of the World Cup.
#3 First host country to set record for farthest distance between venues
The distance between Kochi's Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and Guwahati's Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium of 2431 km has created a record of farthest distance between two venues ever in a U-17 World Cup. Though India is not the biggest country in terms of area to have hosted this competition, it is a good record to possess for the Indians.
China and Canada have hosted the World Cup in 1985 and 1987 respectively but these nations too have not been able to beat the distance recorded between Kochi and Guwahati.
#2 First assist ever by an Indian in a World Cup
Sanjeev Stalin - the India no.5 created a history of sorts, by providing a first-ever assist for his country in a World Cup game. Generations of Indians have dreamt of scoring or creating a goal for their homeland in a World Cup match and the fullback achieved that in the game against Colombia.
Though his assist has not been in the news as much, it deserves full credit too. The delivery from a corner was inch perfect for Jeakson Singh to jump and connect brilliantly with the ball. India had a ray of hope after that goal and it all became a reality because of that cross by Sanjeev Stalin.
#1 First goal by an Indian in a World Cup game
India's first goalscorers in football history:
Olympics: 1948, S Raman, v France
Asian Games: 1951, S Mewalal, v Indonesia
Asian Cup: 1964, Appalaraju, v Korea
World Cup (U17): 2017, Jeakson Singh vs Colombia
Yes, a 17-year-old lad from Manipur has created history and become a part of this elite list! It was truly a stunning goal by Jeakson, the second half substitute against Colombia, rising the tallest from a corner and thumping one into the back of the net.
The importance of this goal cannot be termed in just a few words as 'THAT' Jeakson Singh goal will inspire thousands of young footballers to take up the game and make sure that India qualifies for the future editions of the U-17 World Cup.
