The sports culture in Mumbai is dominated by Cricket. The sport, played widely on the maidans that dot the city, has held sway in hearts of a majority of the populous for a while now. However, football has always enjoyed a small but vociferous support. With the influence of English and European football gaining traction in the country over the last decade, the number of fans following the beautiful game has only risen in the metropolis.
Supporters of top English clubs like Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City have a huge support base in the city. With the English under-17 team full of players that hold allegiance to these powerhouses, it was only natural that a few die hard fans would find their way into the ground by the time they took the field.
In India, for the Under-17 World Cup, the England under-17 side crossed swords with New Zealand in a warm-up game at the Mumbai Football Arena on Sunday.
The stadium was sparsely filled, but those present had eyes firmly set on the English boys who produced a typical fast-paced brand of football their countrymen have made so famous over the years. Attacks were formed on a whim with the long balls being neatly shot over the defence bypassing the mid-field in true English fashion.
The fast-paced style, however, led to 50-50 chances for the ball, making it an action-packed encounter that could have been passed off as a Premier League game to the untrained eye.
England stamp their class
In the end, though, the better exposure of the English players seemed to have played a part as they edged the Kiwis 3-2 in an energy-sapping clash.
New Zealand, who earlier this week played against Brazil in their first warm-up tie, matched the attacking style of their opponents. In fact, they seemed to have better co-ordination and created the better chances early on. The goal soon followed as Oliver Whyte scored after a delightful assist by Willem Ebbinge 15 minutes into the game.
England were quick to react as Emile Smith Rowe smashed a powerful kick, which was brilliantly saved by Jacob Clark. Rowe is part of Arsenal’s youth team and hence the caliber was clearly on show.
If the Arsenal boy missed, it was Chelsea youth team lad Marc Guehi who scored the equalizer after a brilliant corner kick by club-mate Callum Hudson Odoi.
The North London lad was soon in the thick of action. His error gave New Zealand the lead as a pass to the goalkeeper was intersected by All Whites substitute Elijah Just who intercepted the pass before slotting it home.
This was a rude awakening for England, who upped the ante as the game entered its final 10 minutes.
Liverpool youth team lad Rhian Brewster turned out to be their saviour with two goals in as many minutes to cap off a thrilling victory. Brewster first capitalised on a clever assist by Manchester City’s Phil Foden before following it up with a fine header from cross by Nya Kirby of Crystal Palace.
“It was our first game in India. It was great for the boys to play a proper match,” said coach Steve Cooper after the game. “It was disappointing to go a goal down against the run of play. We should have scored from two clear chances in the first half but that wasn’t to be. We showed great character. We dominated possession and created loads of chances. It was a well-deserved win,” Cooper added.
Mystery of Jadon Sancho continues
England were without their star winger Jaden Sancho who was picked up by Borrusia Dortmund for $10 million recently. He is yet to arrive in India for the tournament and seems to be the second casualty after Brazil’s Invictus Junior to miss the tournament.
“We are working closely with Dortmund and were are confident that he will play a part in the World Cup. We are focused on the team and the players as of now. That is the priority and it is not about individuals and self-glory,” said Cooper.
Buy an annual Scroll Membership to support independent journalism and get special benefits.
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!