FIFA U-17 World Cup: India deserved victory vs Colombia, says Mexico’s Gutierrez

Mexico coach Mario Arteaga praised India’s fighting Colombia spirit in the FIFA U-17 World Cup and said they lost to a team with longer and better history in football.

Mexico coach Mario Arteaga said India should be proud of the way their team performed against Colombia in the FIFA U-17 World Cup on Monday. Sitting next to him, Alexis Gutierrez said Luis Norton de Matos’ team deserved full points.

Luis Norton de Matos’s side could have earned their first ever point in FIFA U-17 World Cup had they not switched off moments after scoring against Colombia. (AP)

“Yesterday, they deserved a victory but unfortunately, they made two mistakes and Colombia took full points. But I had seen them in Mexico (last August) and was not surprised by their fighting spirit,” said the midfielder here on Tuesday.

Arteaga too spoke about the Torneo de 4 Naciones Tournament in Mexico City where India played along with the hosts, Chile and Colombia. India had lost 0-3 to Colombia, 1-5 to the hosts and drew 1-1 with Chile.

READ | Jeakson Singh scores but Colombia beat India 2-1 in FIFA U-17 World Cup

“We had a chance to see India a couple of months ago and we were really surprised about the big level of the Indian team. Their performance so far has been an even bigger surprise. I understand there is the pressure of being the home team,” he said.

“What we saw yesterday is they had a great match. They had a good performance, made history (by scoring a goal) and fought really well. They lost against a team that has a longer and better history in football but after such a great match, Indians must be proud of their team,” said Arteaga.