Indian football hit a new low as their historic international break ended on a sour note as Uruguay defeated the Blue Tigers 6-1 at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Tuesday (October 6) in what was the first meeting between the two sides in 44 years.
The result came after India played a 1-1 draw against Panama while losing 4-0 to Brazil in this window, in what was their first meeting against the two sides.
Darwin Nunez opened the scoring for Uruguay in the 11th minute from the penalty spot before Anirudh Thapa equalised in the 24th minute. After the Khalid Jamil-managed team’s equaliser, the game was stopped for over half an hour due to thunder. After the resumption, Diego Forlan’s side took control of the game with goals from Max Araújo (28′, 59′), Rodrigo Zalazar (53′), Juan Manuel Sanabria (71′), Rodrigo Aguirre (86′).
India Suffer Joint-Biggest Home Defeat
This loss is India’s joint-biggest on home soil since their first-ever game in India in 1951. It is only the third time in history that the Blue Tigers have lost a game on Indian soil by a margin of five goals, with the last such instance being in 2011 against Zambia.
Indian Men’s Senior Football Team’s Biggest Loss At Home
| Opponent | Year | Match Type | Venue |
| Zambia | 2011 | Friendly | Goa |
| Thailand | 1995 | Nehra Cup | Kolkata |
| Oman | 2004 | AFC FIFA World Cup Qualifier | Kochi |
| Brazil | 2026 | Friendly | Kolkata |
| Japan | 2004 | AFC FIFA World Cup Qualifier | Kolkata |
| Uzbekistan | 1998 | Friendly | New Delhi |
| Soviet Union | 1955 | Friendly | Kolkata |
This is only the second time in history that India has conceded six goals at home in a match. The only other instance of the same happening came in 2010 against Yemen in an international friendly, which was played at the Balewadi Sports Complex in Pune.
India will next be seen in action against New Zealand in November, when the two sides play each other twice on November 12 and 15 at Auckland and Christchurch in the next international break.