India men’s football star, Anwar Ali believes that he is currently playing in an era which is a “golden one” for the country and that he is really happy by the way the squad are approaching the games.
Ali played a key role for the Blue Tigers in their recent 2023 Asian Cup qualifiers, with India beating Cambodia, Afghanistan and Hong Kong to create history for the country as they qualified for their second successive tournament for only the first time.
The 25-year-old was immense in defence as the Blue Tigers conceded only one goal in the qualifiers, which brings great hope for the future.
❌️ 2019 – AIFF banned Anwar Ali from playing competitive football due to rare heart condition.
✅️ 2022 – Anwar Ali starting for India in Asian Cup Q game against Cambodia.
Inspirational. 🇮🇳🔥 pic.twitter.com/QkYzZ7XLuN
— Sevens Football 🏳️🌈 (@sevensftbl) June 8, 2022
“I am still young and I really look forward to being a part of Indian football’s golden era now. I am really happy about how we have been approaching the matches. I am very happy scoring my first goal for the country. It was a team game and the credit goes to everyone involved,” he said in an interview.
Another youngster, Sahal Abdul Samad, who played a vital role in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers believes domestic tournaments like Durand Cup and Hero ISL would help in the preparation of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, he said, “As players, we all need game time. The longer the season is, the better a player gets. That gets you into the rhythm for football.”
It will be interesting to see whether India can build on these performances as they look to make a mark in the upcoming 2023 AFC Asian Cup.
