The football team that humiliated India: Five things you should know about Guam

India suffered a humbling 2-1 defeat to tiny pacific island side Guam, that severely damages the subcontinent nation’s chances of qualifying for the playoffs of the 2018 football World Cup in Russia. What exactly do we know about Guam? Guam’s population is as much as Indian hill-station Shimla If you ever feel the odds are insurmountable, just remember that tiny Guam, with 165,000 people on a postage-stamped little island in the middle of the Pacific, found 11 better footballers than India, with a population of 1.2 billion. According to 2010 census Guam’s population is as much as Indian hillstation Shimla, 159,358– but they beat India 2-1.

Guam is ranked 33 places below India It’s not too often that India get to play as favourites in a football match. Today – they needed to make the most of their superiority. They didn’t. India was outperformed, out-classed and out-scored by the tiny nation. The last time the two played each other it ended in a 4-0 win for India (2014 AFC Challenge Cup). Sadly India left it a little too late as Sunil Chhetri scored in the final minute of the game.  

The half-time traditional Chamorro dance was more interesting than india’s first half performance today Guam is a side which took 35 years to register a win. The last time they played World Cup qualifiers, they conceded 35 goals in two games. And their half time performance was so much more entertaining than India’s first half. The Blue Tigers were plagued with bad passes, high shots and horrible footwork.  

Guam vs India At 549 square km, it’s smaller than Andheri in Mumbai or Dwarka in Delhi. Go figure. [caption id=“attachment_2298336” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] The Tumon tourist district in Hagatna, the capital of Guam, the US territory in the western Pacific. AFP Photos.[/caption] Guam lost to North Korea in 2005 in double digit goals When Guam last played in World Cup qualifiers, in 2000, it lost 16-0 to Tajikistan and 19-0 to Iran, the top team in its group then and now. Five years later Guam suffered its worst defeat, a 21-0 beating by North Korea in the East Asian Football Championship. This year, under young British coach, Garry White, they’ve beaten Turkmenistan and India and are now top of the table of their 2nd round qualifying group for World Cup 2018. [caption id=“attachment_2298342” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] The man who has taken Guam places - Garry White. Photo Courtesy: FIFA.com[/caption]