India U-23 1-0 Pakistan U-23 – Five talking points

More than a friendly

There were plenty of fouls but the match was played in good spirit

Although termed as a ‘friendly’ series both teams talked about the fact that an India-Pakistan clash in any sport can never be just a friendly and Sunday’s encounter was another reminder. Both sets of players showed full commitment from the first to the last whistle with plenty of fouls and bookings. While Robin got sent off for two needless challenges, Pakistan skipper Kaleem Ullah was also guilty of losing his temper in the second half. But the Dordoi Bishkek player turned peacemaker during a scuffle between his Indian counterpart Chhetri and teammate Mansoor Khan. The game though wasn’t an ugly one with both sides showing good sportsman spirit at full time which did justice to the fact that FIFA Fair Play Day was celebrated before kickoff. More importantly a nine-year barrier of having an Indo-Pak bilateral series was finally broken and football fans of both countries can now look forward to Wednesday’s clash.