Uruguay Beat India: In an international friendly football match played on Tuesday night at Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium, the Indian team suffered a crushing 1-6 defeat at the hands of Uruguay, the world's 20th-ranked team.
At one point, Indian midfielder Anirudh Thapa had leveled the score at 1-1 by netting a memorable goal; however, following a 35-minute break caused by heavy rain and lightning, the South American giants Uruguay dominated the remainder of the match to secure a one-sided victory.
History Repeated After 44 Years
Anirudh Thapa’s 22nd-minute goal has been immortalized in the annals of Indian football history. Prior to this, India had scored its only previous goal against Uruguay at Eden Gardens during the 1982 Nehru Cup, when Manas Bhattacharya found the net in a match that ended in a 1–3 defeat.
Exactly 44 years later, in the same city and against the same opponent Uruguay Anirudh Thapa made history by putting the ball in the back of the net. In the 22nd minute, Uruguayan goalkeeper Gastón Cardozo failed to fully control a powerful shot from Ryan Williams; an alert Thapa pounced on the rebound and converted it into a goal.
Weather Woes and the Uruguayan Storm
In the 11th minute, star striker Darwin Núñez gave Uruguay a 1–0 lead from a penalty awarded after Pramveer brought down Federico Viñas inside the box. Following Thapa's equalizer, play was halted for about 30–35 minutes due to heavy rain and lightning. Upon the restart, Maximiliano Araújo scored off a low cross from Nahitan Nández to put Uruguay ahead 2–1.
The Indian defense appeared helpless against Uruguay's attacks in the second half. In the 53rd minute, Rodrigo Zalazar extended the lead to 3–1 with a powerful shot from outside the box. Shortly thereafter, Araújo netted his second goal, making it 4–1.
In the closing stages, former Manchester United winger Facundo Pellistri displayed his class by providing two brilliant assists, enabling Juan Sanabria and Rodrigo Aguirre to score and bring the final tally to 6–1.
