India may have suffered a heavy 6–1 defeat to Uruguay in Kolkata, but one moment still gave the home crowd something significant to celebrate. Anirudh Thapa’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’s history.
Anirudh Thapa ends India’s 44-year wait against Uruguay
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’s international friendly at the Salt Lake Stadium.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 Núñez converting the resulting penalty after sending Gurpreet Singh Sandhu the wrong way.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.Uruguay goalkeeper Thiago Cardozo managed to parry Williams’ effort, but Thapa had followed the move closely and reacted first to the loose ball before calmly finishing from the rebound.The goal briefly brought India level at 1–1 and gave the home side a huge lift against a Uruguay team ranked 20th in the world, with India sitting 138th.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.Uruguay eventually pulled away in the second half, with Maximiliano Araújo scoring twice while Rodrigo Zalazar, Juan Manuel Sanabria and Rodrigo Aguirre also found the net to complete a 6–1 victory.Thapa’s goal nevertheless secured his place in a very small piece of Indian football history.
Manas Bhattacharya was the first Indian to score against Uruguay
Before Thapa’s rebound at the Salt Lake Stadium, the previous Indian goal against Uruguay had been scored 44 years earlier by Manas Bhattacharya.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 3–1.Uruguay had already built a two-goal advantage through Jorge da Silva before Bhattacharya pulled one back in the 35th minute.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.Bhattacharya was a prominent winger during the 1970s and 1980s and earned a strong reputation during his spells with Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan Sporting.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.That match ended 3–0 to Uruguay, meaning Thapa’s strike was the first Indian goal against the South Americans since Bhattacharya’s effort in Kolkata in 1982.
Who is Anirudh Thapa?
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.He currently plays for Mohun Bagan Super Giant in the Indian Super League 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.His development began when he started playing football at the age of 10 with St. Stephen’s Football Academy in Chandigarh.Thapa then represented India’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.
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)
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.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.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.After the 2021–22 ISL season, Thapa left Chennaiyin and joined Mohun Bagan, where he continued developing as one of India’s established midfield options.His goal against Uruguay now gives that career another notable chapter, because despite India’s eventual 6–1 defeat, Thapa has become only the second Indian player ever to find the net against the two-time world champions.
