PR Sreejesh spent all his playing career in one position: between the goal posts. So his view of the game is from almost a fixed perspective. Which is why, after India’s opening match of the Junior World Cup against Chile kicked off in Chennai on Friday, the head coach put his headsets on and took up a spot on a small building terrace near the corner flag, away from the chaos of the dugout. He wanted a tactical vantage point, somewhat similar to the one he is used to all his life. And for the first fifteen minutes, he watched on as his wards huffed and puffed, but couldn’t break Chile’s defence down.
But after a goalless opening quarter, the floodgates opened as India ran out 7-0 winners to start their campaign with a solid if not spectacular win. “When the main tournament starts, the players can hesitate a bit. Some starting trouble,” Sreejesh quipped later in the mixed zone, eventually satisfied with what he saw from different spots he took up away from the dugout. “Once they found their rhythm, they started to penetrate and create attacking opportunities. We train for all scenarios, but on the pitch, the players are the boss, and they make decisions. The aerials… it was the player’s creativity,” Sreejesh said after the match, giving credit to his wards for unlocking the Chilean deep defence as the match went on.”
Frustration to fruition
Two of India’s best chances in a frustrating Q1 came from two long aerials down to the byline. The first of those, early in the match, was controlled by Dilraj Singh down the left, but he couldn’t penetrate the deep defence while cutting in. But with 13 seconds to go, Sunil Bennur brought down an aerial that he had no business controlling because it was so high and sailing long. But control he did to keep the ball in play, and it eventually led to India’s first Penalty Corner (PC). Though Rohit could not convert, it gave India the blueprint to break Chile down.
#JWC2025 🏑
PR Sreejesh spent all his playing career standing between the posts, often by himself.
As a head coach, he has taken up a vantage spot in Chennai for a tactical view. 👀 pic.twitter.com/g8uh114Ddw
— Vinayakk (@vinayakkm) November 28, 2025
And promptly, at the start of the second quarter, a long aerial down the left was brought down expertly by Manmeet Singh, who played a minus pass to Amir Ali, the left-back taking up an advanced position to then drive in-field and release Rosan Kujur. The Odia youngster’s shot across goal took a deflection and Nicolas Troncoso’s clean sheet was finally wiped out.
Rosan would double his tally in less than five minutes after that. A long pass along the ground this time broke open Chile’s backline, and Rosan was found in space at the edge of the circle. He danced past defenders with superb close control and slotted into the empty net. India’s third came from a PC as Sharda Nand Tiwari’s drag flick was blocked, but Dilraj was alert to the loose ball and finished from close range.
Aerial brilliance
Early in the second half, Dilraj would double his tally too. Ankit Pal latched on to a deflected ball at the edge of the circle and hit a pass towards the forward, who trapped it under pressure and, despite facing away from the goal, managed to find the space through the goalkeeper on the reverse. It was an area that India struggled with in the first quarter, so another box was ticked.
Another aerial pass was at the heart of India’s fifth. The excellent Amir Ali, from the left corner in the middle of the park, threw a diagonal centrally to Gurjot Singh. With his back to goal, Gurjot brought it down and then drove forward to cut the ball to Ajeet Yadav, who lofted it over the keeper with a reverse. If India missed out on one thing from the checklist, it was a direct PC goal – Anmol Ekka thumped a drag flick early in the fourth quarter to account for that as well. Rohit’s penalty stroke in the final seconds completed a job well done.
“Coach saab told us (after Q1) to not rush, stay patient and rotate the ball quickly. We were told to put more pressure on the defence but stepping forward to receive the ball. Shoot on goal or create PCs… but finish off the chances. As the ground passes are not working, we looked to go aerial as they were giving us some space behind,” Rohit said after the match, on what Sreejesh’s message was after the first quarter.
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“One of the greatest teams in the world, but we defended a lot and played a pretty good match at the start. But the physicality of India was tough to handle and they started penetrating us in zones that hurt us,” Chile captain Felipe Richard – who produced his side’s moment of the night with a stinging tomahawk shot on target late in the night that Bikramjit Singh saved well – said after the match.
Scoreline: India 7-0 Chile (Rosan Kujur 16′, 21′; Dilraj Singh 25′, 34′; Ajeet Yadav 35′; Anmol Ekka 48′, Rohit 60′).
