India’s ladies’s soccer staff confronted a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat in opposition to Vietnam of their AFC Asian Cup opener after conceding a late purpose, regardless of a powerful efficiency and a purpose from Sanfida Nongrum.
{Photograph}: AIFF
Key Factors
- India’s ladies’s soccer staff misplaced 2-1 to Vietnam of their AFC Asian Cup opener, with Vietnam scoring a late injury-time purpose.
- Sanfida Nongrum scored India’s equaliser within the sixty fifth minute, marking a memorable debut.
- Vietnam’s Ngan Thi Van Su scored twice, together with the decisive purpose within the 94th minute.
- Goalkeeper Panthoi Chanu delivered an excellent efficiency with a number of saves, whereas Manisha Kalyan posed a continuing menace to Vietnam’s defence.
- India goals to achieve the knockout stage to pursue qualification for the 2027 FIFA Girls’s World Cup.
A gritty India conceded a purpose within the harm stoppage time to go down preventing in opposition to higher-ranked Vietnam 1-2 of their Girls’s AFC Asian Cup opening match right here on Wednesday.
Debutant Sanfida Nongrum, a second half substitute, equalised within the sixty fifth minute after Vietnam took the lead within the thirtieth minute by way of Ngan Thi Van Su.
India have been agonisingly near seize one level from the match however conceded a purpose within the fourth minute of second half added time with Ngan Thi Van Su (94th) scoring her second of the match.
It was a heartbreak for the Indians underneath new head coach Amelia Valverde from Costa Rica as there was simply three minutes left within the match after seven minutes added for harm stoppage.
Regardless of the loss, India, lowest ranked in Group C at 67th, will maintain their heads excessive in opposition to the Thirty sixth-ranked Vietnam, who although dominated all through.
Vietnam had made it to the 2023 FIFA Girls’s World Cup and had reached quarterfinals within the earlier version of the Asian Cup in 2022.
Goalkeeper Panthoi Chanu was excellent underneath the bar, making as many as 5 saves, whereas captain Sweety Devi Ngangbam marshalled the Indian backline with aplomb.
Ahead Manisha Kalyan, who at the moment plies her commerce in a high tier league in Peru, was a continuing menace for the Vietnamese defence.
Early within the second half, Vietnam thought they’d scored however the purpose was disallowed by the Video Assistant Referee, ruling for a handball as a substitute on the a part of an attacker throughout a purpose mouth melee.
India have been lacklustre within the first half, as they may not maintain ball for a substantial time frame to assemble attacking strikes. Additionally they misplaced possession simply.
Vietnamese midfielder Nguyen Thi Bich Thu was the primary menace for India and her shot within the 14th minute struck the crossbar. Subsequent minute, goalkeeper Panthoi was known as into motion as she parried a Cu Thi Huynh Nhu shot from shut vary. She made one other save within the seventeenth minute.
Vietnam have been, nevertheless, to not be denied within the half-hour mark as Ngan Thi Van Su despatched a curling shot from the left aspect of the field to beat Panthoi after Nguyen Thi Bich Thu did the arduous work.
A couple of minutes earlier than the half time, Manisha was introduced from the left flank to the centre, and India had a golden probability to attain within the forty first minute.
Manisha did an ideal job to outwit her marker and despatched a ravishing move to Soumya Guguloth, who, nevertheless, had a heavy first contact. With the ball fairly far-off from Soumya, Vietnam goalkeeper Tran Thi Kim Thanh had sufficient time to come back of her line and cleared the ball.
India dished out a significantly better efficiency within the second half with Nongrum and Rimpa Haldar coming in for Dangmei Grace and Soumya Guguloth on the re-start.
The Indians held the ball for longer intervals of time and constructed on attacking strikes as a rule, whereas additionally not giving an excessive amount of area for the Vietnamese.
The Vietnamese supporters on the Perth Rectangular Stadium have been surprised with Nongrum scoring the equalising purpose within the sixty fifth minute after arduous work from Halder.
The Meghalaya participant’s left-footer bought by way of the fingers of the Vietnamese goalkeeper to hit the nets to the enjoyment of the small Indian supporters on the stadium.
Vietnam attacked relentlessly, looking for one other purpose. Panthoi made one other high quality save within the 76th minute to maintain the scoreline 1-1.
Seven minutes have been then added as harm stoppage time and India virtually escaped with a draw however Vietnam scored within the 94th for a deserved win.
India got here into the match with out sufficient worldwide sport time since they haven’t performed any worldwide match this 12 months.
Wanting Forward: World Cup Qualification
India, although, are hoping to punch above their weight and attain the knock-out spherical which is able to enable them to take a shot at 2027 FIFA World Cup qualification for the primary time.
The highest two sides from every of the three teams, together with the 2 greatest third-placed groups, will progress to the quarter-finals. The 4 quarter-final winners will qualify for the 2027 FIFA Girls’s World Cup in Brazil.
The dropping quarter-finalists will contest the play-offs for the 2 remaining direct spots allotted to the AFC for the World Cup. The 2 play-off losers may have one other probability of qualifying for Brazil by way of the play-off event.
India face Japan on March 7 right here, whereas their closing Group C match can be in opposition to Chinese language Taipei on March 10 in Sydney.
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