Uruguay hammer India in Kolkata friendly as Anirudh Thapa provides lone bright spot

Uruguay produced a ruthless second-half display to hammer India 6-1 in their international friendly here on Tuesday, handing the hosts another heavy defeat against a two-time world champion side in space of three days.

Darwin Nunez put Uruguay ahead from the penalty spot in the 11th minute after Pramveer Singh was adjudged to have fouled Federico Vinas inside the box. India, however, responded impressively as Anirudh Thapa levelled in the 22nd minute, pouncing on a rebound after Ryan Williams’ effort was parried by goalkeeper Thiago Cardozo.

Uruguay regained the lead in the 28th minute through Maximiliano Araujo, who finished from close range after India were caught out defensively. The game was briefly interrupted by lightning soon after the opening half-hour, but resumed after a weather-related stoppage.

India struggled to contain Uruguay’s attacking quality after the break and Rodrigo Zalazar extended the visitors’ advantage in the 53rd minute. Araujo then struck again six minutes later to make it 4-1, effectively putting the contest beyond the hosts.

Uruguay continued to exploit gaps in the Indian defence, with Juan Manuel Sanabria adding a fifth in the 71st minute before Rodrigo Aguirre completed the rout in 86th. The defeat capped a difficult international window for Khalid Jamil’s side, who had drawn 1-1 with Panama before losing 0-4 to Brazil.