Fifa U-17 World Cup: Dheeraj Moirangthem upset after conceding soft goals

New Delhi: India goalkeeper Dheeraj Moirangthem may have won all-round praise for his impressive performance in their Fifa U-17 World Cup opening match but insists his good show counts for little following the 0-3 loss here on Friday.

Dheeraj was one of India’s top performers, his exploits preventing India from losing by a bigger margin. He also came in for praise from USA coach John Hackworth.

“I am disappointed because we lost the match. My good performance matters little if the team does not win,” Dheeraj said after the match.

Dhreeraj made several fine saves, including a reflex-action block off America’s captain Josh Sargent in the initial stages of the match.

On being told of Hackworth’s praise, Dheeraj said, “It is the duty of the goalkeeper to save goals and obviously I have to save as many as possible for my side.”

The Manipur boy was beaten by a Sargent penalty in the first half and then undone by a deflection and a swift counter attack in the second session. Conceding the soft second upset him the most. “Basically, it (the goal) was a deflection and you know it was from a corner and one of my team-mates touched it and the ball landed in front of the opponent who kicked it and deflected into the net. I could not do anything.”

The loss notwithstanding, his performance has boosted his confidence, which will help India in their next match against Colombia on Monday.