Games India : Indian Football Team Won The Nehru Cup
The year 2007 will be remembered for Indian football breaking its long drought for an international title by claiming the Nehru Cup on home turf.For Indian football it was time to rejoice once again. As host, the nation won the Nehru Cup for the first time in New Delhi. The euphoria following the triumph was reminiscent of the year 2002 when India won the LG Cup in Vietnam.
The highs of Indian sport were manifest in various ways. If it was a tournament victory that boosted the image of football in the country, then entering the quarterfinals of the World Championship was a historic march forward for Indian squash. And what was really important was the positive developments these results brought about.
The success in front of packed galleries at Delhi’s Ambedkar Stadium gave a fresh lease of life to Indian football which had largely been relegated to the background of public consciousness with more and more youngsters identifying themselves with European teams and their players.
Though the competition India faced was not of the highest standard in Asia the hosts beat Syria, ranked 113th in the world, in the final it achieved its aim of making a forward thrust in international football.