Sarpreet becomes first Indian origin player to start FIFA World Cup match
New Zealand attacking midfielder Sarpreet Singh became the first footballer of Indian origin to start a FIFA World Cup match in his team’s 2-2 draw against Iran in their group match in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
Born in Auckland to Punjabi parents, the 27-year-old Sarpreet made his World Cup debut in the politically-charged match and had a few attempts at the Iranian goal. He was named in the starting XI by head coach Darren Bazeley and played almost the whole match, substituted only in the 90th minute.
New Zealand coach Bazeley kept faith on Sarpreet till the end as Iran came back twice from a goal down to play out a 2-2 draw. Wearing No. 10 jersey, Sarpreet had three shots at the Iranian goal, including one in the 61st minute which, however, could not beat the Iran goalkeeper. He operated in middle of the park in New Zealand’s 4-2-3-1 formation.
New Zealand face Egypt in their second Group G match on June 21 in Vancouver.
Two days back, Nishan Velupillay of Australia, another player of Indian descent, made his World Cup debut in his team’s 2-0 win over Turkiye in Vancouver, Canada. The 25-year-old winger was not in the starting line-up and came in from the bench in the 60th minute.
Velupillay was born in Melbourne to an Anglo-Indian mother and a Malaysian father of Sri Lankan Tamil descent.
Before this edition of the FIFA World Cup, jointly hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico, Vikash Dhorasoo of France was the only player of Indian descent to have played a World Cup game. The midfielder, now 52 years old, played two group matches in the 2006 World Cup in Germany, where France finished runners-up.
But Dhorasoo, whose forefathers had their roots in Vizianagaram in AP, actually played just a few minutes combined in the two matches. He came in from bench in 84th minute in France’s draw against Switzerland in 2006.
