{"id":33469,"date":"2026-10-07T03:20:14","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T03:20:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=33469"},"modified":"2026-10-07T03:20:14","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T03:20:14","slug":"who-is-anirudh-thapa-the-indian-footballer-who-ended-44-year-wait-for-a-goal-against-two-time-world-cup-champions-uruguay-football-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=33469","title":{"rendered":"Who is Anirudh Thapa? The Indian footballer who ended 44-year wait for a goal against two-time World Cup champions Uruguay | Football News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-134747651,imgsize-133940,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/anirudh-thapa.jpg\" alt=\"Who is Anirudh Thapa? The Indian footballer who ended 44-year wait for a goal against two-time World Cup champions Uruguay\" title=\"Anirudh Thapa ended India\u2019s 44-year wait for a goal against Uruguay, joining Manas Bhattacharya as only the second scorer\/ Image: X\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Ta7d_ img_cptn\"><span title=\"Anirudh Thapa ended India\u2019s 44-year wait for a goal against Uruguay, joining Manas Bhattacharya as only the second scorer\/ Image: X\">Anirudh Thapa ended India\u2019s 44-year wait for a goal against Uruguay, joining Manas Bhattacharya as only the second scorer\/ Image: X<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>India may have suffered a heavy 6\u20131 defeat to Uruguay in Kolkata, but one moment still gave the home crowd something significant to celebrate. Anirudh Thapa&#8217;s equaliser against the two-time FIFA World Cup champions ended a 44-year wait for an Indian goal against La Celeste, placing the midfielder alongside a player from a very different era of the national team&#8217;s history.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"2\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>Anirudh Thapa ends India&#8217;s 44-year wait against Uruguay<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"4\"\/>Thapa became only the second Indian footballer to score against Uruguay when he reacted quickest to a rebound and turned it into the equaliser during Tuesday&#8217;s international friendly at the Salt Lake Stadium.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"6\"\/>Uruguay had taken the lead in the 11th minute after Indian defender Pramveer was penalised for a foul inside the area, with former Liverpool forward Darwin N\u00fa\u00f1ez converting the resulting penalty after sending Gurpreet Singh Sandhu the wrong way.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"10\"\/>India responded just 11 minutes later, with Ryan Williams winning possession in midfield before carrying the ball forward and striking from the edge of the box.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"12\"\/>Uruguay goalkeeper Thiago Cardozo managed to parry Williams&#8217; effort, but Thapa had followed the move closely and reacted first to the loose ball before calmly finishing from the rebound.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"14\"\/><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"16\"\/>The goal briefly brought India level at 1\u20131 and gave the home side a huge lift against a Uruguay team ranked 20th in the world, with India sitting 138th.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"19\"\/>It was also an important personal moment for Thapa, because the strike was his fifth international goal and his first for India since March 2023.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"21\"\/><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"23\"\/>Uruguay eventually pulled away in the second half, with Maximiliano Ara\u00fajo scoring twice while Rodrigo Zalazar, Juan Manuel Sanabria and Rodrigo Aguirre also found the net to complete a 6\u20131 victory.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"25\"\/>Thapa&#8217;s goal nevertheless secured his place in a very small piece of Indian football history.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"28\"\/><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2><keyword id=\"39814027\" type=\"Denny\" weightage=\"20\" keywordseo=\"Manas-Bhattacharya\" source=\"keywords\">Manas Bhattacharya<\/keyword> was the first Indian to score against Uruguay<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"32\"\/>Before Thapa&#8217;s rebound at the Salt Lake Stadium, the previous Indian goal against Uruguay had been scored 44 years earlier by Manas Bhattacharya.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"34\"\/>Bhattacharya found the net during the 1982 Nehru Cup at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, although his goal could not prevent India from losing the match 3\u20131.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"36\"\/>Uruguay had already built a two-goal advantage through Jorge da Silva before Bhattacharya pulled one back in the 35th minute.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"39\"\/>The goal made Bhattacharya the first Indian to score against Uruguay, a distinction he held for more than four decades before Thapa joined him on Tuesday night.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"41\"\/>Bhattacharya was a prominent winger during the 1970s and 1980s and earned a strong reputation during his spells with Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan Sporting.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"43\"\/>India and Uruguay have only met twice previously, with Uruguay winning both encounters, although the second meeting came against a Uruguay B team during the 2001 Millennium Super Soccer Cup in Kochi.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"46\"\/>That match ended 3\u20130 to Uruguay, meaning Thapa&#8217;s strike was the first Indian goal against the South Americans since Bhattacharya&#8217;s effort in Kolkata in 1982.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"48\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>Who is Anirudh Thapa?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"50\"\/>Thapa was born in Dehra Dun on January 15, 1998, and the 28-year-old has become one of the more established midfielders in Indian football after several years around the national-team setup.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"52\"\/>He currently plays for Mohun Bagan Super Giant in the <a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/topic\/indian-super-league\" styleobj=\"[object Object]\" class=\"\" commonstate=\"[object Object]\" frmappuse=\"1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Indian Super League<\/a> and has already won the ISL twice during his career, while making his senior India debut in 2017 and accumulating more than 60 international appearances.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"57\"\/>His development began when he started playing football at the age of 10 with St. Stephen&#8217;s Football Academy in Chandigarh.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"59\"\/>Thapa then represented India&#8217;s under-14 side before earning a place at the AIFF Regional Academy in Kalyani in 2012, later moving into the AIFF Elite Academy and eventually captaining the I-League under-19 team.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"62\"\/><\/p>\n<div data-pos=\"0\" class=\"id-r-component iIpbx undefined  &#10;        \">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"India vs Uruguay: International friendly\" msid=\"134747688\" imgsize=\"7974427\" resizemode=\"4\" width=\"\" title=\"Kolkata: India's Anirudh Thapa, left, celebrates with Ryan Williams after scoring a goal during an International friendly Football match between India and Uruguay, in Kolkata. (PTI Photo\/Manvender Vashist Lav)(PTI10_06_2026_000500B)\" placeholdersrc=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/83033472.cms\" offsetvertical=\"0\" placeholdermsid=\"47529300\" type=\"thumb\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/imgsize-7974427,msid-134747688\/india-vs-uruguay-international-friendly.jpg\" data-api-prerender=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Kolkata: India&#8217;s Anirudh Thapa, left, celebrates with Ryan Williams after scoring a goal during an International friendly Football match between India and Uruguay, in Kolkata. (PTI Photo\/Manvender Vashist Lav)(PTI10_06_2026_000500B)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"64\"\/>In 2016, he was one of four Indian players selected for an opportunity with French Ligue 2 club Metz, giving him an early taste of European football before he established himself domestically.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"67\"\/>His Indian Super League journey began in 2016 when Chennaiyin FC signed him, followed by a loan move to Minerva Punjab after the 2018 ISL season.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"69\"\/>Thapa made his debut for Minerva Punjab against Mohun Bagan in January 2017 before returning to Chennaiyin in May that year when his loan spell ended.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"71\"\/>After the 2021\u201322 ISL season, Thapa left Chennaiyin and joined Mohun Bagan, where he continued developing as one of India&#8217;s established midfield options.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"73\"\/>His goal against Uruguay now gives that career another notable chapter, because despite India&#8217;s eventual 6\u20131 defeat, Thapa has become only the second Indian player ever to find the net against the two-time world champions.<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/sports\/football\/top-stories\/who-is-anirudh-thapa-the-indian-footballer-who-ended-44-year-wait-for-a-goal-against-two-time-world-cup-champions-uruguay\/articleshow\/134747177.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Anirudh Thapa ended India\u2019s 44-year wait for a goal against Uruguay, joining Manas Bhattacharya as only the second scorer\/ Image: X India may have suffered a heavy 6\u20131 defeat to Uruguay in Kolkata, but one moment still gave the home crowd something significant to celebrate. Anirudh Thapa&#8217;s equaliser against the two-time FIFA World Cup champions [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33470,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33469","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/anirudh-thapa.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/anirudh-thapa.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/anirudh-thapa.jpg","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/anirudh-thapa.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/anirudh-thapa.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/anirudh-thapa.jpg","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/anirudh-thapa.jpg","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/anirudh-thapa.jpg","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/anirudh-thapa.jpg","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/anirudh-thapa.jpg","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/anirudh-thapa.jpg","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/anirudh-thapa.jpg","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/anirudh-thapa.jpg","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/anirudh-thapa.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"Anirudh Thapa ended India\u2019s 44-year wait for a goal against Uruguay, joining Manas Bhattacharya as only the second scorer\/ Image: X India may have suffered a heavy 6\u20131 defeat to Uruguay in Kolkata, but one moment still gave the home crowd something significant to celebrate. Anirudh Thapa&#8217;s equaliser against the two-time FIFA World Cup champions [&hellip;]","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":1,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":4,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/anirudh-thapa.jpg",400,225,false],"medium":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/anirudh-thapa.jpg",300,169,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/anirudh-thapa.jpg",150,84,false]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/author\/admin"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"<a href=\"#\" class=\"category-link category-link-31\">\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33469","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=33469"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33469\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/33470"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33469"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=33469"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=33469"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}