Doha, June 6: How many times does it happen that an athlete representing his national team scores a match-saving goal and at almost at the same time his father is undergoing a heart surgery – a successful one? Indian football team defender Adil Khan savoured this on October 15, 2019, at the Yuva Bharati Krirangan (YBK), Kolkata. With Bangladesh leading 1-0 at the half time in a Group E match of the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2022 and AFC Asian Cup 2023, and with two minutes left in the game, Khan sent in a glancing header at the near post off a corner and salvaged a point for India. It triggered unlimited joy in the ‘City of Joy’.
“The match will always be a hallmark in my life. I had fought my way back to the National team after a spell of injuries that had kept me out of football for long. I was so motivated,” Khan told AIFF on the eve of another encounter against Bangladesh. (IANS)
