In 1962, when the Indian football team won a gold medal in the Asian Games
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New Delhi, September 5, 2020, Saturday
In India, cricket is all over the place. The golden age of hockey is remembered but we are lagging behind in other sports including football. However, it may come as a surprise to learn that India won a gold medal at the 1962 Asian Games in one of the most played and popular football games in the world. The Indian football team defeated a strong team like South Korea 2-1 for the gold medal at that time. Defender Arun Ghosh, a former Indian footballer, achieved this feat on September 4, 1962 at the Asian Games Festival in Jakarta, Indonesia. Ghosh said he was thrilled to recall the moment on the All India Football Federation's website.
The Senyan football stadium in Jakarta was packed but had fewer spectators than India. As an ethnic group, Indonesian spectators were supporting South Korea. Players of the Pakistan hockey team were watching the match in the stadium when there was a lack of spectators for India's victory. The Pakistani hockey team won a gold medal in the Asian Games. The truth was that it seemed possible for Pakistani players to support Indian footballers.
PK Banerjee and Jarnail Singh scored the goals for India in this gold medal winning match. There was silence in the stadium when the Indian team took a 2-0 lead. However, South Korea managed to score a goal by giving a counter fight. His gold keeper Peter Thangaraj was seen struggling till the last moment of the match. There were so many players for the Indian team that not a single player of the rival team came to applaud after winning the match. However, that night of victory was the golden night of Indian football.
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