This past Sunday, Mumbai hosted an international football match after 60 years and it quickly became a night to remember. It was India versus Puerto Rico in an international friendly, and even though the visitors took the lead after just eight minutes, India came back to thrash their guests 4-1.
The Blue Tigers hadn’t performed so well against a team ranked higher than them by FIFA in a long time and the crowd present at the Andheri Sports Complex just made the occasion more special.
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The crowd at the Sports Complex hadn’t seen an international match before but their participation, cheering, and enthusiasm hold great promise for the future of football in India. While it’s only obvious they would cheer their home team after they got off to a great start with their equaliser, they were just as supportive of the away team.
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The noise levels around the stadium were deafening but instead of pressurising or taking the players off their game, it only spurred them on to do better.
Stephen Constantine, the Indian coach was amazed by the audience’s enthusiasm and remarked, "The atmosphere from the Mumbai fans was excellent. Although it was 6,000-7,000, it felt like 20,000 at times.” David Guillemat, the stand-in coach for Puerto Rico was equally impressed by the atmosphere in the stadium.
The support displayed by the fans for both sides seemed “unbelievable” to him.
In a post-match press conference, he described the experience for him and his players, "We think it's a great experience for us and our players to play in front of a packed house. You look at the crowds and see how much this means to the people. The crowd was something we thought we knew about, but playing here was a completely different experience.”
Apart from the resounding victory for the home team, the best part of the night was the crowd’s reaction to the away team once the final whistle was blown. The spectators gave the Puerto Rican players a standing ovation and clapped and chanted ‘Puerto Rico’ in loud and perfect unison.
In appreciation of their reception, the away team did a lap of honour around the stadium in front of the Mumbai fans.
Puerto Rico defender Juan Velez said, "I didn't expect such a reception. We didn't feel intimidated. They were screaming even when we played well and supported us too."
The team captain, Alexis Rivera was of a similar opinion as Velez, "It was a great place to come. The crowd was very good. They were shouting for them and for us. We felt welcome.”
