NEW DELHI (TIP): On the eve of his coaching career’s biggest assignment, India coach Luis Norton de Matos was asked about his last-minute message to his team. The 63- year-old Portuguese coach turned towards India captain Amarjit Singh Kiyam, sitting next to him, and uttered just four words:

“Enjoy the World Cup.” Matos and Kiyam looked in complete control of their emotions. Their poise, given the magnitude of the occasion, seemed quite

incredible. After all, it’s the first time India is hosting a FIFA tournament — the Under-17 World Cup — and it’s the first time an Indian team is participating in a football World Cup, never mind the fact that they made the cut by virtue of being the hosts.

“My advice to the boys is to make sure that they enjoy every moment. It’s a moment they should never forget in their lifetime,” said Matos on the eve of India’s tournament opener against the formidable USA at the JLN Stadium.

“The team must enjoy every tackle, every pass, the feel of the stadium and the crowd support. My advice would be to come and enjoy playing football. Don’t lose your head thinking too much. We must continue to be organised.

“At the end of the day, we must be proud of our will to win. The team must execute the beautiful things they learnt during training.

The boys should treat each game as a story — goals scored and missed, penalties, red and yellow cards. Try to be intelligent and concentrate. If we keep ourselves disciplined, we can dish out a good game tomorrow and beyond,” the coach added.

Both Matos and Kiyam know India are placed in a tough group alongside the experienced USA, Colombia and Ghana.

While the USA have been a four-time quarterfinalist and one-time semifinalist, Ghana are undoubtedly the most competitive side, with two crowns and four runners-up finishes. Colombia, too, aren’t far behind, having appeared in six editions of the tournament. The tag of the ‘dark horse’ suits them well.

On the other hand, this 21-member Indian team came into existence less than three years ago and started globe-trotting for exposure and friendlies only since July 2015. The combined experience of this team is only 109 matches. Teams like Ghana and the USA have been featuring in this age-group competition for decades.

“These three teams are big. But my job as a coach is to prepare this team well for the games ahead. The players know what they will be facing tomorrow against the USA,” said the coach.

“But in football anything can happen. You know the strong points of the USA and their little weaknesses. We are going to exploit those weaknesses and fight for those little possibilities to make something happen… to rewrite the history of Indian football. This WC is the first step towards building a strong future for Indian football. This is just the start of the process. I am hoping that tomorrow we can play with 12 players — 11 plus the huge crowd support. We are banking on our fans,” Matos added. USA coach John Hackworth said India were one of the most hard-working teams he had ever seen. “We will be coming into this match with a lot of respect for the Indian team. We know that the Indians are going to challenge us. We will also have to compete against the crowd who would be cheering for the hosts,” he said.

Top five contenders

BRAZIL: The South American nation is a three-time champion (1997, 1999 and 2003) and a hot-favourite this time as well. Such has been their dominance that they have missed reaching the final only once. Only Nigeria, with five titles, have been more successful. Brazil qualified for the tournament after winning the 2017 South American U-17 trophy.

GHANA: Ghana have won the U-17 WC twice, in 1991 and 1995. During the 1990s, they made the final four times. Post their semifinal finish in 2007, Ghana have not been at their best and have qualified only twice in their last seven attempts. Thye qualified for the India WC after reaching the final of the 2017 CAF Africa Cup of Nations.

SPAIN: Spain have never won the U-17 World Cup, yet they have always been among the favourites. They have been the runners-up on three occasions — 1991, 2003 and 2007. Quite curiously, after finishing third in 2009, they failed to qualify until this edition. They qualified this time by clinching the European title in Croatia earlier this year.

GERMANY: Like Spain, Germans have also failed to lay their hands on the trophy. They were sent packing by the eventual winners in three of their last four appearances – by Nigeria in 2007, Switzerland in 2009 and Mexico in 2011. They lost to Croatia in the Round of 16 in 2015. They qualified after reaching the semifinals of the 2017 European Championships.

MEXICO: The two-time champions won in 2005 and 2011, and lost the 2013 final to Nigeria 3-0. in 2015, they made the semis. Mexico qualified by winning the 2017 CONCACAF U- 17 championships.