Top five matches in India involving international football clubs

Many foreign teams have come to India and played some significant matches.

It’s not every day or even every year that a world-famous club comes to India and plays a friendly game with an Indian club. There are only a few handful of occasions when such moments became a reality for Indian football fans to watch a game on Indian soil, where the best in the world compete against our fellow Indian players.

As mentioned earlier, there are only a few instances when top world-level clubs competed on Indian soil against Indian clubs, but whenever it happened, football fans went crazy. Let’s delve into the past and have a tour of five such instances when the clubs of this nation took on the world’s best in friendlies.

5. Mohun Bagan vs FC Barcelona (Legends)

Played at the iconic Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan, this game took place on September 28, 2018. The Green & Maroon Legends hosted Barca Legends, guided by coach Albert Ferrer.

On that intensely humid evening, the former FC Barcelona players trampled the Mohun Bagan Legends team by a half-dozen goals to nil. This game was viewed by a massive crowd of 45,000 spectators. The goal scorers that evening were Javier Saviola, Roger García, Landi, Jofre Mateu, and Jari Litmanen. Jari scored a brace.

Full Time: Mohun Bagan 0-6 FC Barcelona, Venue: Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata (VYBK)

4. Kerala Blasters vs Girona FC

Kerala Blasters FC played Spanish side Girona FC at their den, the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium of Kochi. This game also took place in 2018, the date is July 28. This was a game of the inaugural La Liga World Tournament. KBFC were left devastated as they lost 0-5 to Spanish top division side Girona.

The Blasters worked hard in the first half, and Girona couldn’t score till the 42nd minute. But it all started to fall in the last 45 minutes when they faced four quick goals. Of Course not many hoped for KBFC to compete, but they did in the first half. Anyways, they were trampled at ease in the next.

Full Time: Kerala Blasters 0-5 Girona FC, Venue: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi

3. Indian Football Team vs Bayern Munich

This game was the big farewell match for legendary Indian footballer Bhaichung Bhutia. This game was played in front of 30,000 fans at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in the Indian capital of New Delhi. Dating back to January 10, 2012, this wasn’t a pleasant experience for the Blue Tigers, and not for the retiring legend Bhaichung Bhutia. The Indian Football Team lost the game 4-0.

Fans surely wouldn’t have been much disappointed after seeing the score-line, after all our Blue Tigers locked horns with one of the biggest clubs in Europe, who played with a full team, comprising stars like Thomas Muller, Philipp Lahm, Anatoliy Tymoshchuk, Arjen Robben, Mario Gomez, Jerome Boateng, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Manuel Neuer.

Full Time: India 0-4 FC Bayern Munich, Venue: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi

2. Mohun Bagan vs Bayern Munich

Much before Indian legend Bhaichung Bhutia’s farewell game, Bayern Munich came to India for a grand farewell game for one of their biggest legends, Oliver Kahn. The game happened on May 27, 2008, at the iconic Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan.

With one of the greatest goalkeepers bidding adieu to the game, people of the football-crazy city of Kolkata ought not to miss it. This game was attended by a massive crowd of 1,30,000 fans.

The great German goalie played 55 minutes of the game against Indian stalwarts Mohun Bagan, and of course, he kept a clean sheet in his last ever. The Bavarians won the game 0-3, but surely didn’t upset the Indian football fans, after all, it was Kahn’s farewell. Zan Schaldrauff scored a brace which happened to be the first two, while Ze Roberto scored the final goal.

Full Time: Mohun Bagan 0-3 Bayern Munich, Venue: Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata (VYBK)

1. Mohun Bagan vs New York Cosmos

The stakes couldn’t have been bigger, the stakes have not been bigger. After all, as Bengalis term him, “Football Samrat Pele”, the OG GOAT of football, Brazil’s Pele came during the glorified days of his playing career to play a game in India, and of course, it was against the National Club of India, Mohun Bagan Athletic Club. This game was played at the famous Eden Gardens, in front of over 80,000 spectators. The date of this game will forever be etched in history, September 24, 1977.

Mohun Bagan have always been a club backed by a huge fanbase, but that day even supporters of the club chanted the Football God’s name from the stands. The game ended 2-2, with Mohun Bagan drawing against one of the strongest clubs in the world, and especially USA, New York Cosmos. 

This game would be written in golden letters in the history of Mohun Bagan, and Indian Football at large. It was unfortunate for Pele to not score in this game, but Mohun Bagan making India proud managed to pull a 2-2 draw, thanks to Indian legends Shyam Thapa and Subrata Bhattacharya. Brazilian World Cup winner Carlos Alberto and Italian Giorgio Chinaglia were also on the team.

Full Time: Mohun Bagan 2-2 New York Cosmos, Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata

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