Won't trade Asian Cup goal even for Kohinoor diamond: Thapa

New Delhi : The date January 6, 2019 will always remain etched in the history books for the Blue Tigers' superlative performance against Thailand in their opening clash of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 as the Indian side registered a memorable 4-1 victory.

Exactly a year later, two of the young architects of that majestic triumph -- Ashique Kuruniyan and Anirudh Thapa -- recollected the day.

Ashique was a livewire in attack throughout the game and Thapa scored the third goal for India, which he termed as being even more precious than the Kohinoor diamond.

"Two days before the match, the coach told me that I would start upfront. Their right-back was a fast guy and coach wanted me to disrupt him.

I was carried away even hours before the kick-off and was still in awe when we reached the stadium," Kuruniyan said recalling the day.

On the other hand, Thapa was quoted as saying by aiff.com: "I still feel the goosebumps. In the team meeting, when the coach showed us the video and discussed the game plan, I even pinched myself.

Yes, I would start for India in Asian Cup. We had faced China and Oman in friendlies but the chance of playing in the Asian Cup is something else. Just unimaginable. The night before I couldn't sleep properly."