With India playing against Oman in the 2022 World Cup qualifier on Thursday at Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, it was bleeding blue all around the stadium.

And it was the jersey number 11, of captain Sunil Chhetri, which is the most popular among the fans.

“After Baichung Bhutia, Sunil Chhetry has carried forward the flag of Indian football. We want him to score today and win the match against Oman. Last time also he scored a goal though India lost the match,” said Kamal Das, a young football fan.

Apart from Chhetri, local players like Vinit Rai of Assam and Lallianzuala Chhangte of Mizoram also got the attention of the houseful crowd.

Though Assam was lagging behind in football compared to the rest of the region, now the youngsters have taken the game seriously.

“It’s great to have an international match in our city. This will definitely help the game to grow further and touch maximum number of youngsters in Assam. I also feel lucky to have this. Earlier, we didn’t have many games here in Guwahati,” he said.

Das, however, believes that Assam need to have at least one club which can play in the I-League, the oldest national league of the country. So far, clubs from Meghalaya, Manipur and Mizoram have played in the I-League. Aizawl FC has won in 2016-17 on their debut in the I-League.

While on their way to watch the match, the fans also tried to carry forward the tradition of football as they brought a mammoth poster of Talimeren Ao.

Popularly known as T Ao, this footballer from Nagaland was the first captain of Independent Indian team which took part in the 1948 London Olympics.

The jam-packed stadium in the city also showed the popularity of the game in the state. Assam Football Association (AFA) sources said all the 15,000 tickets were sold.