Indian players jubilate after Manandeep scored the opening goal for India U-22

Report & Photo Courtsey: AIFF

India breeze past Lebanon 5-2 in U-22 AFC Championship qualifiers at Muscat, Oman.

Tears! They don’t always wet your eyes. Often they wet your heart. Your heart cries but your eyes stay dry. It’s a pain which you one can share with none, the pain of losing someone dear. After losing his grandfather three days back, striker Manandeep Singh whenever in solitude has howled. In public, his pain made him stronger as an individual.

He refused to go back to his hometown Hissar for the rituals. Instead, he chose Muscat, the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex to be precise.

India opened their campaign by defeating Lebanon 5-2 in the opening match of the AFC U-22 Championship at the picturesque stadium. Manandeep paid the perfect tribute to his grandfather heading in a scorching header off a Lalrindika cross in the 16^th minute to put India in the lead while Alwyn George slotted it past an advancing rival goalkeeper Nazih Hassan in the 39^th minute. He added one more in the 55^thminute while Jeje Lalpekhlua scored his first goal in the 71^st minute and completyed the rout in the 90^th minute.

For Lebanon, substitute Omar Kurdi pulled one back in the 48^th minute while Abdul Fattah scored another in the 69^th minute.  

In the dressing room, Manandeep couldn’t hold himself back. His heart was too wet by then and tears overflowed into his eyes. His teammates consoled him. Tears of pain? Or Tears of Joy?

“I wanted to pay my respect to my Grandfather. He loved me like anything,” Manandeep said. Alwyn came over put his arm around his shoulder and the duo walked towards the team bus. The rest followed.

Sacrifice; History; Future! All in one match!

INDIA: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (Captain); Abhishek Das, Souvik Ghosh, Deepak Devrani, Narayan Das, Ganeshan (Pronoy Halder – 65^th), Milan Singh, Shaiju Mon, Alwyn Geroge, Lalrindika Ralte, Manandeep Singh (Jeje Lalpekhlua – 56^th)