India looks ahead to redemption against Nepal after unfortunate loss

In the unpredictable realm of football, certainty often remains elusive until the final whistle, a truth starkly evident in Sunday’s intense clash between India and Bangladesh. In a twist of fate, India, after delivering a strong performance, succumbed to a late injury-time goal, departing the field empty-handed. Despite the Young Tigresses’ resilience, the match seemed destined for a draw, only to be decided in the closing moments, favoring Bangladesh once again. Post-match, tears welled up in the eyes of the Indian girls, revealing the intense emotions stirred by the unexpected outcome.

“We entered the match with confidence, expecting a victory, but a minor error cost us the game. Despite numerous attempts on goal, our own mistakes prevented us from capitalizing on those opportunities. While our defense remained solid, our focus remained on attacking,” expressed Neha, as quoted by the AIFF website.

“Our strategy was to leverage our strengths, but unfortunately, we fell short. Bangladesh proved to be faster, and regardless of my effort in the first half, my shot from the left turned into a low strike, missing the goal. Although we executed good crosses, they went unconverted,” she added.

Despite the disappointment, the girls are gearing up for the upcoming test against Nepal on Tuesday at the BSSSMK Stadium.

Reflecting on the previous SAFF U19 Women’s Championship 2019, where India secured victory over Nepal before facing Bangladesh in the final, a similar scenario could unfold with a draw or a win against Nepal on Tuesday.

Head coach Sukla Dutta is resolute, emphasizing a winning mindset. “Currently, I am not thinking about point calculations or goal differences. I have stressed this to my players as well and told them the importance of focusing on winning tomorrow to secure a spot in the final.”

Assessing yesterday’s performance, Coach Sukla acknowledged Bangladesh’s resilience, stating, “Bangladesh showed a never-give-up attitude and resilience, maintaining a compact team structure and adopting a defensive approach. Our unexpected attacking strategy caught them off guard, resulting in our attempts on goal, which unfortunately did not go well as per my plan.”

With a keen understanding of Nepal’s gameplay, Sukla is formulating a strategy to break through their defensive stance and engage in 1v1 scenarios. “Improving ball positioning and scoring ability is crucial. It will be on my attacking strategies, ball positioning, and how to handle 1v1 situations,” Sukla emphasized, looking ahead to the redemption clash against Nepal.

-IANS