India vs Uruguay: Can the Blue Tigers build on Brazil lessons? - The Indian Express
A few fans were loitering around the Salt Lake Stadium ticket counters on Monday, a day ahead of India’s match against Uruguay. The scene was markedly different from before the Brazil match, when the same counters had been largely empty. The much-anticipated Brazil game also failed to sell out, with swathes of empty seats visible during the match.
With ticket sales for the Uruguay match also struggling, the All India Football Federation appeared to have taken note. A couple of days before the match, the federation announced that tickets for some blocks had been slashed by 90%, with seats that once cost Rs 1,999 coming down to Rs 199.
In addition, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced that people who had bought tickets for the Lionel Messi GOAT Tour last December but were deprived of seeing their star because of the event’s organisational chaos would receive free tickets for the India-Uruguay international. Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan, East Bengal as well as Mohammedan FC also announced complimentary tickets for their members and supporters. Since these measures were taken, a lot of stands showed as sold out in the match’s official ticketing app.
The Uruguay match was always going to be a harder sell than Brazil. The South American team does not have a so-called superstar in its squad who commands the same recognition among casual Indian football fans. One big name who could perhaps have helped ticket sales was Real Madrid captain Federico Valverde, but he was ruled out ahead of the tour due to injury. That left Uruguay with names such as Darwin Nunez and Ronald Araújo, world-class players in their own right, but not quite as familiar to Indian fans.
Their coach, Diego Forlán, though, is a much more familiar name to Indians, having played for Mumbai City in the Indian Super League. The 2010 FIFA World Cup Golden Ball winner took over this Uruguay side after their disappointing 2026 World Cup campaign, where they failed to win a single match and were eliminated in the group stage under Marcelo Bielsa. Since then, they have lost to Japan but thrashed South Korea 4-1, with Nunez bagging a brace.
Next up is 138th-ranked India, a relatively straightforward match on paper. Forlan, however, did not agree.
“There’s never an easy game in football. We will try to do our best and enjoy our game tomorrow,” he said at the pre-match press conference on Monday.
He also had praise for the Blue Tigers, lauding them for their performance against Brazil.
“You could see some combinations, some long balls, some good players. If you give them time and space, they can damage you, and they can play well. So, you have to respect everybody,” he said.
While Uruguay are not as unfamiliar an opponent as Brazil, with the two sides having met twice, their last meeting came way back in 2001 and was not an official FIFA friendly. Uruguay remain two-time World Cup winners and the 20th-ranked team in the world. The heady days of Luis Suarez, Forlan and Edinson Cavani may be behind them, but this side in transition still has enough quality to hurt any opposition.
Former Liverpool striker Nunez is in good form, while former Barcelona defender Araújo and former Arsenal midfielder Lucas Torreira remain more than capable of holding their own in defence and midfield, respectively.
India, meanwhile, want to take lessons from the Brazil game forward and use them against Uruguay.
“Not conceding an early goal is important. We have to go with the flow, but we are going to play against a good team. One mistake can cost us really badly, so we have to be very careful and not take this match lightly at all. They are a good team, attacking-wise and defensively. They have experienced players and their coach is also one of the best. We have to be careful in all aspects,” coach Khalid Jamil said.
Sayak Dutta is Copy Editor (Sports) at The Indian Express and is based in Kolkata. He specializes in the coverage of football, cricket, and a variety of other sports. ... Read More
