Can the Indian Women's Team Achieve Even More After Their Record-Breaking Qualifiers Win?

Chiang Mai, June 24 (NationPress) – It was a historic day for the Indian women's national team as they secured their largest victory in an official AFC match, triumphing over Mongolia with a score of 13-0 on Monday (June 23). This result marks the fourth-largest victory margin in the history of the Blue Tigresses.

Just six months prior, India had dominated the Maldives with a staggering 14-0 win in a friendly match. The Maldives had also suffered a 15-0 defeat to India during the 2014 Asian Games held in Incheon.

However, the most significant win remains the 18-0 rout of Bhutan in the 2010 SAFF Championship. Despite Monday's impressive victory against Mongolia being a record for the AFC Women's Asian Cup (qualifiers and finals), coach Crispin Chettri expressed that his team has the capability to perform even better.

"Sometimes, you don’t have to dwell on past victories. It’s important to keep pushing forward. We need to focus on doing our job, which is scoring goals. While scoring isn't always straightforward, regardless of the opponent, we must enhance our clinical precision and professionalism to capitalize on every opportunity. I believe we can elevate our performance significantly," Chettri remarked.

Nonetheless, Chettri was pleased with the outcome. The Blue Tigresses kicked off their journey toward securing a spot for the Australia tournament next year in the best possible way, improving their goal difference in a group where only the top teams will advance. The crucial match against the hosts, Thailand, is set for July 5.

"The initial match is always challenging. However, we demonstrated resilience and scored a number of goals, particularly in the second half, which makes me very happy with our performance," he stated.

Chettri's team initially took time to find their groove, netting just four goals in the first half. The difficult and slippery pitch posed additional challenges, but once they hit their stride, goals flowed in from all directions.

Pyari Xaxa netted five of the first six goals, with three assists coming from Grace Dangmei, whose contribution may have gone unnoticed as she didn’t score until the twelfth goal from the penalty spot.

Soumya Guguloth showcased her exceptional dribbling skills on both wings, with her crisp left-footed volley being one of the finest goals the Blue Tigresses have scored in recent times. Meanwhile, the Mongolian defense struggled to keep up with the agile Rimpa Haldar throughout the match.

"We took some time to find our rhythm in the first half, but we were more composed in the second half. We focused on ball movement rather than individual runs, which was beneficial," Chettri concluded.

Substitutions made in the second half proved to be equally, if not more, effective. On the right flank, Malavika built on Soumya's performance, scoring her first goal for India, while Priyadharshini Selladurai showcased remarkable composure in her finishing.

With five days left until their next match against Timor-Leste, who ended their first game in a goalless draw with Iraq, Chettri and his coaching staff have a few areas to refine.

"We improved our wing movement in the second half and aim for more composure in midfield. We want more players to take shots from outside the box and diversify our attacking strategies. This is our focus moving forward.

"We analyzed the game between Timor-Leste and Iraq. In the next five days, we’ll prepare ourselves to counter their strengths," Chettri concluded.