Itanagar: Under the floodlights of the golden hills of Arunachal, with the home crowd swelling in anticipation, a 17-year-old forward from the quiet village of Jollang stood on the brink of a dream. And when the moment came — just minutes into the second half — Omang Dodum seized it with the precision of a player far beyond his years.
It was the fifth goal of the night for India in their U19 SAFF Championship opener against Sri Lanka. But for the 7,000-plus fans at the stadium and the pockets of blue shirts in the main stand, it was the goal. Their boy, number 9, had scored — for India, at home, in front of family.
“I just had to get that goal,” Dodum told reporters after the match. “Playing in front of all my loved ones, it wasn’t pressure. I felt like — finally — this is the moment I’d been waiting for.”
The goal, a clever finish through the goalkeeper’s legs after intercepting a loose ball at the edge of the box, capped a night of history. For Arunachal Pradesh, this wasn’t just the first time the Indian national football team played a competitive international fixture in the state — it was a powerful arrival of the region on the map of Indian football.
From the moment the team line-ups were read out — nearly 30 minutes before kickoff — the stadium reverberated with the name “Dodum.” The son of Kage Dodum, a former footballer and now Secretary of the Arunachal Athletics Association, Omang had been raised in football’s embrace since age 11, when he left home to train at the Kolkata Football Academy.
His journey since has included stints at the Chandigarh Football Academy, Sudeva Delhi FC, and Punjab FC — where he won the Reliance Foundation Development League and scored in the final. He’s also played against English Premier League sides like Aston Villa in the Next Gen Cup and donned the national jersey during the AFC U17 Championship in Thailand.
But no accolade, Dodum said, compares to Saturday night.
“When I found out the tournament was in Arunachal, the first thing I thought was — my family will see me play for India,” he said. “So many of them came. I just wanted to hug them all after that goal.”
In the stands, surrounded by uncles, cousins, friends and neighbors, his family wept and cheered. For many, it was their first time watching an international match live.
“This isn’t just his dream,” said a fan wrapped in the Indian tricolor. “This is ours.”
Dodum’s humility matches his talent. When asked about the spotlight on him, he was quick to point out the team’s unity. “It’s not just about me. My teammates felt so much at home here. The crowd cheered for all of us. I’m just grateful.”
And Arunachal, long considered a frontier of Indian football’s potential, is grateful too — for its first tournament, its first hero, and a number 9 who showed that dreams, when rooted in family and fueled by passion, can find their finest stage right at home. (Inputs from: AIFF Media Team)
Also read: Shi-Yomi’s MCC to represent India at ARWS Asia Championship
