The Indian Women are preparing for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Qualifiers Round 2 in April wherein they are drawn in Group A, pitted against hosts Myanmar, Indonesia and Nepal – who will host the SAFF Women’s Championship in March.

Dubbing the clash as a litmus test, head coach Maymol Rocky said, “Uzbekistan are one of the top teams of Asia and it will be a challenge to face them. They are strong on the counter and we will have to be at our 100 per cent to beat them”

“The Hero Gold Cup was a good opportunity for us to test our permutations and combinations strategically against quality opponents and we will look to do the same in the Turkish Cup with an aim of creating a final iteration as we proceed to the Olympic Qualifiers”

The Indian women had gone on an unbeaten run of five matches including wins over Hong Kong, Indonesia and Iran (in the Hero Gold Cup), but losses against Nepal and Myanmar – both coming in the Hero Gold Cup, have given room for improvement.

“We have worked on our finishing ever since the Hero Gold Cup where we faltered in front of goal. The bright spot in the Gold Cup was that we were creating chances at will and we look to continue that in the Turkish Cup.”

“We are focusing on finishing the chances we create while implementing the game plan,” Maymol added.

The Indian Women had lost 7-1 to Uzbekistan in 2017 in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers. Two years down the road, Ashalata Devi, who played in 2017, believes that the result will be different altogether this time.

“We have developed and evolved into better players by leaps and bounds. We also have tested ourselves against tough opponents and there is no doubt that if we play to the best of our abilities, we can beat Uzbekistan,” said Ashalata.

“It will be a tough match for us but we are prepared for them. We stunned Iran as well (in the Hero Gold Cup) and we have the capacity to defeat some of the best teams if we play to our strengths,” she added.

Meanwhile, the Indian Women will also be facing Turkmenistan and Romania in the Turkish Women’s Cup 2019.

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A brace from Yee Yee Oo and a brilliant effort from Win Theingi Tun was enough to down a spirited Nepal side, who scored in the 45th minute through Manjali Kumari.

The first half was a feisty affair as both teams scored a goal apiece with chances coming at a premium. The first came in the opening minute as Nepal’s star striker Sabitra Bhandari broke free and earned a corner.

The resulting header was comfortably saved by the keeper.

Myanmar, who had beaten Nepal 3-0 in the tournament opener asserted their dominance as they created two good chances in the 10th and 17th minutes respectively. The first had Win Theingi missing a header from close range while the second was flagged for offside.

At the half-hour mark, Nepal looked resolute as they repelled everything that Myanmar threw at them. Four minutes later, Yee Yee Oo gave Myanmar the lead, with a powerful effort from inside the box that sailed into the top corner past the diving goalkeeper.

However, on the stroke of half time, Nepal grabbed a stunning equalizer through midfielder Manjali Kumari, who latched on to a loose ball inside the penalty area, controlled it on her chest and side-footed a volley into the side-netting. It was the first goal Myanmar had conceded in the competition!

Both sides played with renewed vigor after the break. Win Theingi put her side into the lead in the 53rd minute after some fine play. Controlling a cross from the left with her back to the goal, she turned and slammed the ball home.

Two soon became three as Yee Yee Oo added her second goal of the night. In the 62nd minute, she put in a ball from the right that found the Nepal goalkeeper off her guard and it sailed into the goal and secured a deserved win.

Tournament Awards

Top Scorer: Sabitra Bhandari, Yee Yee Oo (4 goals)

Best Goalkeeper: Zar Zar Myint

Most Valuable Player: Win Theingi Tun

Fairplay: Myanmar

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Despite the early exit, India coach Maymol Rocky was positive while assessing the team’s performance, stating that the competition was an important experience. “The team played well, I believe,” she said.

“We are still in a developmental process with the target being clearing the second round of the 2020 Olympic qualifiers. Playing in the Hero Gold Cup against the likes of Myanmar, Nepal and Iran was really good for us and was a massive learning experience. Now, we know which areas of the game we lack in and what we need to work on,” she stated.

The coach also thanked All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Government of Odisha for organizing the four-team event: “The AIFF and Government of Odisha have given us such a big platform to play. All the three matches were tough and of high-intensity. It was great preparation for the challenges ahead.”

Rocky picked a relatively young side for the Hero Gold Cup, with a number of youngsters donning their senior India colors for the first time. One was 17-year-old Manisha, who hails from Punjab, and came on as a substitute in the opening game against Iran. She also made her first senior start against Myanmar.

Manisha had this to say about the experience of playing in the competition: “It was a special feeling, playing for India in India. All three matches were extremely competitive and for me, as a player, and for the team, they were a great learning experience.”

Referring to the forthcoming SAFF Championship, Maymol stressed ‘it’s a must-win for us’.

“We will play Nepal in the semi-final or final, and the match will certainly be a tough one given our recent results against them. We have a month to train and we will leave no stone unturned in our preparation as we look to make it five titles in a row,” said Rocky.

India will play Nepal in April, this time in the second round of the 2020 Olympics qualifiers. They have been drawn against Myanmar, Nepal, and Indonesia in Group A, with only the top team in the group qualifying for Round 3.

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“We are very lucky to win against India. The goal we scored early on was a lucky goal for us. If went goalless into the interval, I’m sure we would have had some problems,” Head coach Win Thu Moe commented.

Myanmar took the lead in the 2nd minute when a defensive lapse allowed them to score.

“India and Myanmar are not very different. In fact, India are the strongest team that we have faced. It was a very tough match to play against them. It is very difficult to win against India. Our players became tired in the match. We were stretched to our limits. We wanted to keep ball possession but could not control that,” said Moe.

“I was very surprised that India lost against Nepal. We were expecting to see India in the final but I am happy that we have Nepal as opponents in the final,” he added.

Coincidentally, India has been drawn against hosts Myanmar, Nepal, and Indonesia in Round 2 of the Olympic Qualifiers for Tokyo 2020.

“We play India in the last match of the Olympic Qualifiers and we are sure that it will be the match that decides who goes through. It will be a tough match for us,” said Moe.

He also praised midfielder Ratanbala Devi as ‘a very good player’ and ‘the best in the Indian team.”

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Ratanbala Devi hit home a free kick in the 83rd minute but it wasn’t enough as India registered its first loss in the four-nation tournament.

Myanmar is seated at the top of the table with 6 points from 2 games and India and Nepal are locked in second place with 3 points each after the second day. Iran is yet to open its account having played an equal number of games.

India skipper Aditi Chauhan erred in grabbing a cross from the right flank which allowed Bhandari to score into an empty net.

Maymol Rocky’s team switched gears and Dalima Chibber could have hit the target with a long ranger only to miss by a whisker. Sanju’s lay-off was collected by Jabamani Tudu but the cross was too heavy for onrushing goalkeeper Anju Tamang.

India had another chance in the dying minutes of the first half but Anju could rattle only the side-netting.

They had two back-to-back chances to breach the sturdy Nepalese defence but the score line remained the same.

Sanju and Sandhiya, who replaced Anju Tamang in the 57th minute, coordinated well but failed to find the back of the net in the 74th minute. Sanju tucked in a goal but was ruled offside in the 75th minute.

India got a free-kick at the edge of the box owing to a handball by a Nepalese defender and Ratanbala Devi converted it to bring some life back to the game in the 83rd minute.

India tried their best to find the equalizer but Nepal stood firm to clinch all three points

India will face Myanmar in the final game of the group stage at the same venue on Wednesday.

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Anju Tamang’s winner in the 48th minute ensured that India made it five wins in a row. They had won the last four friendly games against Hong Kong and Indonesia respectively.

India had the first chance of the game in the second minute. Winger Dangmei Grace latched on to a loose back-pass and raced towards goal only to have her shot cleared away by the goalkeeper.

Iran fought back into the game but India was equal to the task. The first half was played predominantly in the midfield as both sides battled for possession. Coach Maymol Rocky’s side had a good number of opportunities to score.

Anju showed great skill in the 15th minute to get into the box and find Ratanbala Devi whose first-time shot was wide of the target. Seven minutes later Sanju got her head to a cross but the effort did not have enough power.

India had their next best chance in the 30th minute after a ball from the right caused chaos in the Iranian penalty area. It fell to Ratanbala who laid it off with her back to the goal. The shot was cleared off the line!

Iran caused a serious scare for the home side as the game went towards half time. Forward Sara Ghomimarzdashti ran through towards goal. Her shot was on target but Indian custodian Aditi Chauhan collected it to prevent any damage.

India got off to an electric start in the second half as Ratanbala played in Sanju whose shot from a tight angle went over the crossbar. The Ratanbala-Sanju duo combined well to set up the opening goal two minutes later.

Sanju was played in behind the defence as she drew out the goalkeeper with a superb first touch. She squared the ball to Anju with the second touch. Anju scored and made it 1-0! Indumathi’s powerful long ranged effort whizzed past the post three minutes later.

Iran applied pressure but the Indian defence stood firm. The central defensive pairing of Ashalata Devi and Sweety Devi was excellent in positioning and Aditi handled her troops well.

The visitors threw players forward and were left vulnerable on the back. India almost grabbed a second goal as Sanju’s shot rebounded off the woodwork.

MYANMAR BEAT NEPAL: Myanmar recorded a 3-0 victory against Nepal in the first game. Win Theingi Tun scored a goal and Khin Moe Wai grabbed a brace to give them the three points.

India (Starting XI): Aditi Chauhan (GK, C); Dalima Chhibber, Sweety Devi (Lako Bhutia 90+2′), Ashalata Devi, Jabamani Tudu; Sangita Basfore, Indumathi K (Sumithra K 66′), Ratanbala Devi; Sanju, Dangmei Grace (Ranjana Chanu 90+1′), Anju Tamang (Manisha 72′)

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