With team India set to take the stage, late in the evening of Friday, the crowd swelled from an earlier headcount of less than 20,000 to around 35,000. It was India's moment. The country's first ever national team to play in a FIFA World Cup marched in to thunderous applause. The crowd was vociferous—backing the boys in blue throughout, despite knowing that the hosts had a tough task ahead. Everyone in the stadium fervently hoped for a miracle. In the end, reality hit hard as underdogs India lost 3-0 to USA, but not before giving a glimpse of their abundant skills.
The more experienced Americans were restrained, refraining from getting into the driver's seat early in the game. Initially, the Indians were more watchful than necessary. A penalty, following a tackle by Jitendra Singh on Josh Sargent, led to both teams going into half time with USA leading 1-0.
The experience of the US players was out on full display. They were sharp on the counters and launched a string of attacks—20 to be precise, of which five were saved by Indian goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh—against their opponents. USA coach John Hackworth described Singh as exceptional after the match, saying that Sargant usually did not miss such chances.
The boys in blue went in with the aim of scoring at least one goal in their opening match. The sprightly Komal Thatal almost realised that aim in the 56th minute. The American goalkeeper was off his position and Komal took a shot, only to see the ball flying over the bar.
Team India head coach Luis Norton de Matos wasn’t happy with the result either, revealing that the talk in the Indian dressing room was more about achieving a 2-1 scoreline. “I am satisfied with the collective performance of the boys, but I am not happy with the result,” he stated at the post-match press conference. "There is a big gap between our team and other teams in our group. We conceded a stupid goal in the first half. At half time, it was very much possible to overturn the game,” he stated at the official press conference.
He defended the team's tactics of playing defensive intially. "What you call defensive is what I call organisation. USA started with four forwards, which is not what their usual play. We had to make adjustments," said the coach.
The third goal was needless as Andrew Carleton scored the goal in the 84th minute on a counter attack. This was after Anwar Ali's shot found the cross bar, following a corner from Thatal.
India's first match may have not gone exactly as per their plan, but they would take some vital lessons from it. “We were more confident in the second half. For Indian players, the experience of playing in the World Cup will help them in the long run,” said Matos.
