New Delhi: Last week, Ladakh played its first match of Santosh Trophy Football Tournament against Uttrakhand at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Ladakh created history by playing out a 2-2 draw in their first-ever match.
Ladakh’s Chinba Tharchin, a 25 yrs old football star comes out as the star of the match by scoring twice in the first nine minutes of the match. Although team Uttrakhand got back on level terms, the 22 men of Ladakh, who experienced the biggest day of their lives, made one thing clear to the rest of the nation – they were not here to make up the numbers
“No one expected Ladakh to score two goals. It was a fantastic result for us,” said coach Harpreet Bedi, who has spent the last two years in Ladakh working in the youth setup and as the technical director of the Ladakh Football Association (LFA).
For Tharchin, scoring the brace felt easier than finding words to describe his emotions from the big day. “Scoring Ladakh’s first goal was my dream come true,” said the man from Bodh Kharboo, a small village in the Kargil district. “Representing Ladakh was not just my dream, but also that of each and every member of our squad, and of so many youngsters back home,” Tharchin added with immense pride.
Coach Bedi opined that the match has proved to be the single biggest advertisement for football in Ladakh. “After the news of our result from the first game reached Ladakh, we received a lot of support, good wishes, and prayers from the people.
