India had defeated Coach Scaloni's Argentina youth team—the same coach who led Argentina to the World Cup final
Argentina have reached the FIFA World Cup final for the second consecutive time under head coach Lionel Scaloni. But do you remember that an Indian national youth team once defeated an Argentina side coached by the very same Scaloni?
Photo Courtesy: Instagram
Xtra Time Web Desk
Argentina have reached the FIFA World Cup final for the second consecutive time under head coach Lionel Scaloni. But do you remember that an Indian national youth team once defeated an Argentina side coached by the very same Scaloni?
The memorable moment came in 2018. The Indian squad that had represented the country at the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup, hosted in India, had graduated to the U-20 level and travelled to Valencia, Spain, to participate in the prestigious COTIF Tournament (L'Alcúdia International Tournament).
Lionel Scaloni was in charge of Argentina's U-20 side at the tournament. Against all expectations, India stunned the South American giants with a 2-1 victory, with Anwar Ali scoring the winning goal in one of the most remarkable results in Indian youth football history.
Scaloni was deeply impressed by India's performance. Two days after the match, he visited the Indian dressing room along with Argentina's technical director and football legend Pablo Aimar. The Argentine duo congratulated the Indian players, praised their fighting spirit, and shared valuable words of encouragement.
Scaloni was particularly impressed by the performances of Amarjit Singh and Jeakson Singh. Amarjit produced an outstanding display against Argentina, while Jeakson had missed that match but had caught Scaloni's attention with his brilliant performance in India's opening fixture of the tournament.
Speaking to the Indian players, Scaloni expressed his admiration and even remarked that he would be delighted if Argentina's senior national team could one day play against India's senior side.
Fast forward to today, and Scaloni is leading Argentina into yet another FIFA World Cup final, with Pablo Aimar serving as his assistant coach—the same coaching partnership that guided Argentina's youth team back in 2018.
Looking back at that unforgettable victory raises an inevitable question: How did Indian football fail to build on such a historic achievement? If a generation of Indian youngsters could defeat an Argentina side coached by Lionel Scaloni, why were they unable to make a lasting impact at the senior international level? It remains one of the most intriguing "what if" stories in Indian football.