NEW DELHI: In one of the greatest nights for Indian football in a long time, a solitary goal from N P Pradeep against Syria clinched India's first title victory in the ONGC Nehru Cup here on August 29. Bob Houghton's men accomplished the remarkable feat through a 43rd minute strike against tournament favorites Syria, which should prove to be a new beginning for Indian football.
Before the tournament, there were two teams ranked higher than India on the FIFA charts, but the team was never short of confidence and skipper Bhaichung Bhutia had declared that "there was a very realistic chance of India winning the title." However, not many gave the hosts much of a chance against the pedigree of the West Asians and the superior physique of the men from Kyrgyzstan.
But they wanted the trophy the most. India received the winners' prize of USD 40,000 while the Syrians had to settle for half that amount. There was further windfall for the Indians as ONGC announced a 100 per cent bonus for them.
Delhi Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit chipped in with Rs five lakh while All India Football Federation announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh. The Indians reserved their best performance for the final and prevailed in a contest that often reached boiling point. The match featured several yellow cards and the Syrians had to play the entire second half with 10 men.
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