Long before kick-off, the fans thronged the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Many of them wore the blue shirt of India, and there were several in yellow, too.
In the match dubbed the Return of the Titans, Brazil Legends beat Indian All Stars 4-3. Hawkers were there as well, selling jerseys and plastic horns. And if you wanted, you could get the flags of India or Brazil painted on your face. You would be pardoned if you thought the build-up was for a competitive match, and not the one featuring former football stars. The legends from Brazil didn’t disappoint their fans. And there were quite a few goals, too. Former India international I. M. Vijayan with Brazilian legend Ronaldinho. | Photo Credit: THULASI KAKKAT
There was indeed excitement in the air on Wednesday night.
The winner of the Ballon d’Or in 2005 scored from the penalty spot. The highlight was an old-fashioned hat-trick by Fernandinho, who was superb right through. Brazil’s other goal was scored by the man most people came to watch — Ronaldinho. And it was a nice, firm kick.
Vineeth netted two goals, including the one that gave the home team a 1-0 lead. He wasn’t the only player on the field to have won the Ballon d’Or and World Cup. There was Rivaldo, too. C.K. The other was scored in the dying minutes by Ashim Biswas.