'I dreamed about this moment for a long time': Ryan Williams reflects on his stellar India debut

India beat Hong Kong in their last AFC Asian Cup qualifiers

The Indian senior national football team edged past Hong Kong in their last AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifier match at Kochi, as they set a new tone in this high-stakes clash.

After a devastating bunch of games in the Qualifiers previously, the Blue Tigers finally made their name in their last match, where they did not have a chance to qualify for the next round. But they delivered the best game they could have played. Ryan Williams scored his debut goal against Hong Kong in the early minutes of the game, which gave India a good lead over the visitors.

India ended their campaign with five points, and Khalid Jamil tested Ryan Williams in the last match as he gave him the much-awaited debut. Ryan delivered his best game at Kochi in front of a thousand fans. Abhishek Tekcham’s pass opened up a good space, and Manvir, who gave a brilliant diagonal cross for Ryan, delivered his first of many.

A night of emotion for Ryan Williams

After scoring the goal, he gave his reaction about how it felt to score as a debutant. As we all know, his grandfather was a Santosh Trophy player, and his roots are from India, so it’s obvious to feel special after scoring the first goal for India. Scoring after the match, Ryan Williams admitted the nerves he felt.

“It’s a strange one, actually. Having dreamed about this for a long time and done a lot of work to make this happen. I dreamed about this moment for a long time. I have really worked hard for this opportunity, and to contribute to the team feels special. I don’t think it’s fully sunk in yet.”

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Despite the challenge and occasions, Williams revealed that everything felt very blurred when he just scored as he hit the net.

“Scoring within five minutes and winning that’s the main thing. If you score and you don’t win, it means nothing. It just went blurry, to be honest. I think I slipped over and just ran away and didn’t know what to do. Having imagined scoring that goal so many times… when it happens, it’s special. Emotions just take over. It just feels so special with this bunch of guys.”

Ryan Williams to the fans

Ryan Williams praised all the fans and supporters who were there at Kochi, which played a big part in his goal that night. The former Australian forward revealed that the electric and energetic environment helped him a lot to motivate. He was full of gratitude for the fans as he signed off with a message to the supporters.

“When you play these games, you want that atmosphere, and they brought it plus more. You saw all of us going to take photos with them because it was that special. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for making this special — not only for me but for everyone. This is something my family and I will remember for many, many years.”

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