India take on Colombia on Monday in their second match of the FIFA Under 17 World Cup 2017. The Boys in Blue suffered a 0-3 defeat against the United States of America (USA) in their tournament opener, but coach Luis Norton de Matos remains confident that his boys will be up for the task against the South American football giants this evening at the JLN Stadium in New Delhi.
Colombia, too, come into this match at the back of a defeat against Ghana. Expect the away side, therefore, to give out their best on Monday. LIVE BLOG OF THE MATCH.
The likes of Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem at the goal, Komal Thatal at the wing and Rahul Kannoly at the defence shined for India against USA. The other members remained had a calm impact.
Expect the highest level of football from India
With full-back Boris Singh returning to the fore after his one-match suspension, and with just two matches remaining for the hosts in the tournament, India are determined to produce that incredible performance we are dreaming to witness.
"We will play to win. There is no other alternative for us. Every match we play is to win and if we win against Colombia we will be creating history," maintained Norton de Matos at the pre-match press conference.
"The eventual target is to secure progression to the next stage whilst taking one game at a time. The strength of the Indian team is their collective ability to play football as a combined unit and we bank on that factor to help us win against Colombia."
The nerves of the first match are buried
The Portuguese coach suggested that it was nothing but shyness and nervousness of playing in front of around 50000 spectators on Friday, that could not bring out the best from them.
Monday, however, will be a different tale altogether.
"They [Colombia] are one of the best teams of their region. But this is a matter of survival for us and we will do everything to be in contention of progression," mentioned skipper Amarjit Singh.
Watch out for Colombia's left winger Leandro Campaz and midfielders Andres Perea and Etilso Martinez.
INDIA vs Colombia
- Date - October 9
- Time - 8 pm IST, 9:30 am Colombia time
- Venue - JLN Stadium Delhi
Watch live in the following ways
TV guide
Sony Ten 2/HD, Sony Ten 3, DD Sports (India)
DirecTV Sports (USA)
Radio commentary
Akashvani All India Radio [FM Rainbow] (India)
Live streaming
Sony Liv (India)
Live scores
International Business Times live blog
Twitter (Indian football)
