'I was lucky enough' - Anirudh Thapa shares his thoughts after his goal in India vs Uruguay
Uruguay defeated India 6-1at the VYBK.
The Indian National Football Team succumbed to a 1-6 loss against the Uruguayan National Football Team on the 6th of October, 2026, at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan VYBK in Kolkata, as part of the final game of the Blue Tigers FIFA International Window.
The game began with India attacking with the intent to break the deadlock and somehow find a positive result from the game. However, a penalty conceded by India was seamlessly converted by Darwin Nunez, who gave the visitors the advantage.
The Blue Tigers, however, struck back in quick succession, courtesy of Anirudh Thapa, who was alert enough to tap in the second ball after a brilliant long-range try from Ryan Williams deflected off the keeper. The game was then temporarily suspended due to lightning, and since the restart, the Blue Tigers lost their momentum.
Uruguay, who returned with much greater attacking intent, completely dominated the game and scored five goals from Rodrigo Zalazar, Juan Manuel Sanabria, Rodrigo Aguirre, and Maximiliano Araújo, who scored a brace, securing a one-sided 6-1 victory.
Following the loss, Anirudh Thapa, who scored the lone goal of the game for the Blue Tigers, spoke to the media. Here is a detailed report of what Anirudh Thapa said in the interview after the India vs Uruguay match.
Thoughts on his goal
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Anirudh Thapa scored the only goal for India in the game, and this goal marked his first-ever goal in an international game since March 22, 2023, when he scored against Myanmar. When asked about the goal and the feeling after scoring a goal despite the game not being in India’s favour, Anirudh Thapa replied,
“Yeah, for sure. You know, I was hoping I could just score in these three matches because of the special news. So, I was just hoping, and somehow I was lucky enough; you know, I got that goal. So, I think I’m blessed enough for that.”
Are India creating a new identity?
When asked if the Indian Football Team is creating a new identity moving forward, Anirudh Thapa noted that despite limited game time, they performed well against top teams and will build further confidence and identity. He also added that if the game had been played after the ISL season had officially started, the Blue Tigers could have done much better.
“Yes, we can say that. And plus, the quality we have in the team, we can see in the league as well. You know, the likes of Sanan and Sahal, then Ryan coming in, Manvir giving his hard work. So, we have this mixed bunch of boys, you know, working hard in the team. But as we know that, you know, many of the boys were not playing for quite a long time. Still, we were performing at the highest level with the best team, with the best players in the world.”
“So, I think we have done pretty well. And if it were, you know, later in the season, I think we would have done pretty much more. So, I think we need to be confident. We need to be motivated and just keep the ball and try what we have, what the quality of the boys is. So, I think we can do much more.”
Mentality & preparation before the game.
India faced Brazil on the 3rd October and, just three days ago & stepped onto the field again to face Uruguay with very little recovery and rest. When asked about the thought process of the players ahead of the game, Thapa replied;
“You know, it was simple. We were playing for our country. So, I think the boys were pretty much motivated enough. The plan was simple. It was all clear. We tried to do that. But as I said, you know, we are a young boys’ team.”
“And the quality we have, I think, we should have been more concentrated, more compact. As we all know, it’s a team sport, and we are playing against the best. So, this is our learning phase. If we can get these sorts of matches in the future, I think we will be a pretty strong team.”
Importance of games like these.
When asked by the panel how important the recently concluded matches against Panama, Brazil and Uruguay were, Thapa spoke about how these matches prepare the team and individuals for big tournaments by showing how composed top teams are with the ball and how one mistake leads to a goal.
Playing these games helps young, talented boys learn, grow, and become better players.
“You know, with the quality they have, with the touch, how composed they are with the ball, you know, off the ball, their movement, like we saw, against Brazil and Uruguay. I think these are the small moments where, you know, we are concentrated, we are all focused; then one mistake and boom, there’s the goal. So, these sort of matches, you know, prepare us for the big tournaments.”
“You know, these are just preparing us as a team, as individuals, you know, how much more we can grow. Because we are a young team, like I said, and there are many boys with so much experience and so much talent they have. I think if they can keep on playing these sorts of games, they will be better players.”
What next?
Anirudh Thapa said that the next step for the Indian team is to improve decision-making and learning when to slow the game down or pick up the pace, keep the ball, and avoid leaving gaps for opponents to exploit, which would help the team perform better than they are doing now.
“I think the decision-making, because we need to decide when we need to slow the game down, when we need to pick the pace up. Because, like, you know, they were more composed than us; they were trying to keep the ball in the middle.”
“They were, you know, making us come closer, and then they were finding the gap. I think these are the games that will make us, you know, understand how football is, what it is about. So, if we can, we are more composed with the ball, and we can decide when to go up and when to keep the ball. I think that’s something we need to build upon.”
Who was India’s goal scorer against Uruguay?
India’s lone goal scorer again Uruguay was Anirudh Thapa, who scored in the 22nd minute of the match.
Who is the head coach of India?
India’s head coach is Khalid Jamil.
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