India’s maiden Fifa World Cup campaign came to an end after three matches with nine goals conceded, one goal scored, zero points but many accolades won and hopefully plenty of lessons learnt.
A 0-4 loss in their last group match at the Fifa Under-17 World Cup by two-time champions Ghana on Thursday ended India’s hope of advancing at the tournament they are hosting. But one of the silver linings was the sheer fan support both on and off the ground.
Almost 50,000 fans turned hoping that their players would come up with another inspiring show, like they had done against Colombia in the previous match. But while a positive result was not to be, there was plnety of praise for the youngsters who represented India.
From India’s senior team football players to fans, Twitter was full of admiration for the heart and energy the team played with. Here’s what people had to say about the rookie Indian team
You may not have made it,but you’ve made your way through to the hearts of at least 1.3 billion people. Come on, India! #INDvGHA #FIFAU17WC
— CK Vineeth (@ckvineeth) October 12, 2017
Another strong show by Dheeraj in goal today! These boys @IndianFootball have a bright future ahead of them. I wish them the best! #INDvGHA
— Amrinder Singh (@Amrinder_1) October 12, 2017
Irrespective of the the results, the boys showed great character in this #FIFAU17WC the experience itself will help them in the years 2 come
— Gurpreet Singh (@GurpreetGK) October 12, 2017
Good job @IndianFootball. You've created history, won a billion hearts and shown a way ahead. You're a beacon of hope for future. #INDvGHA
— Rajyavardhan Rathore (@Ra_THORe) October 12, 2017
Support from fans
52,614 fans turned up at JLN stadium today. If there's anything this #U17WC team has given Indian football, it's belief. And that's a start pic.twitter.com/YKfbo6Jzrk
— Pulasta Dhar (@TheFalseNo9) October 12, 2017
As a kid, I used to lament how Indian keepers couldn't get a goalkick out of the half. Now I'm looking at one throwing it out of the half
— Vishnu Prasad (@visheprasad) October 12, 2017
Let's not judge India's campaign with Ghana result. The boys showed a lot of character in #FIFAU17WC and will only get better from here.
— Ujwal Kr Singh (@UjwalKS) October 12, 2017
JLN faithfuls with 'India India' chant after yesterday's match against Ghana. pic.twitter.com/zmGoDJmXtI
— Vipul (@Sporty_Baba) October 13, 2017
Thank you India. 🇮🇳💙 #WeAreOne #BackTheBlue pic.twitter.com/QYtalA4cvm
— Blue Pilgrims (@BluePilgrims) October 13, 2017
Big shout out to all the lads who wore their heart on their sleeves and billion dreams on their back. Best part, we have only begun. pic.twitter.com/FKD3E52ozf
— West Block Blues (@WestBlockBlues) October 13, 2017