India, March 31 -- Ryan Williams waited two years and five months for the night to happen. And four minutes to make it memorable. No Indian has scored sooner on debut.

It was the first of many firsts in Kochi. First win of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifying campaign, first for Khalid Jamil as head coach and a first goal for Akash Mishra whose 50th minute volley made the 2-1 result against Hong Kong possible. This was India's first win in seven matches since March 19, 2025 when they beat Maldives 3-0 in a friendly.

Just to be here was amazing, Williams said in the flash interview. "And then to score early on and win.." Once an Australian, now an Indian, what Williams was hoping for was a good start, he told HT on Monday. Instead, as he sent H...