Suzhou (China), 07 May (H.S.):
India will face Lebanon in their final Group B match on May 8 at 13:00 IST at Pitch 8 of Suzhou Taihu Football Sports Centre in China. A victory in this match could secure India their historic first entry into the knockout stage of the tournament.
India has one final chance to reach the quarterfinals of the AFC Under-17 Women's Asian Cup. Goalkeeper Munni said after Thursday's training session on Pitch 6, Tomorrow is our last group stage match, and if we win, we'll qualify. Our mood is good after training. We believe we can win this match, so we need to stay completely focused.
Despite losses against Australia (0-2) and Japan (0-3), the Young Tigresses remain in contention for the knockout stage as one of the two best third-placed teams. India's current goal difference stands at -5, better than Philippines (-13) and Chinese Taipei (-14) from Group C, who will face each other on the final matchday. Thus, if India defeats Lebanon, these teams would need to win by a massive margin to surpass India.
Additionally, if Thursday evening's Group A match between Vietnam and Myanmar ends in a draw or Myanmar wins by less than three goals, India's victory would confirm their quarterfinal spot regardless of Group C results. Advancing from the group stage in their first AFC Under-17 Women's Asian Cup appearance after 21 years would be a historic achievement for India.
Munni added, We have to play for India and give our best. The previous two teams were very strong, but Lebanon is closer to our level. We respect them, but we believe we can beat them. Their strikers are good, so we need to stay alert. We must attack with discipline, and we believe we can score goals.
The 16-year-old goalkeeper from Rajasthan was one of India's key players against Japan, particularly in the early phase when India defended stoutly for nearly an hour.
Head coach Pamela Conti expects the match against Lebanon to differ from the previous two encounters. According to her, with both teams needing a win, attack will be more crucial in this game. Making their tournament debut, Lebanon suffered a 0-13 loss to Japan in their first match but stunned everyone with a 1-1 draw against Australia in the second.
Conti said, I watched the Lebanon vs Australia match that ended 1-1. They are a team at our level, but they have good attacking players. We need to stay cautious and not play too openly, as they can hurt us on counter-attacks. This will be a very tactical match, and we must remember it's a 90-minute game where everything is at stake.
The Indian team held recovery sessions in the gym and swimming pool on Wednesday, followed by a 90-minute official training session on Thursday that included tactical drills, set-piece practice, and small-sided games.
The team is well aware of this match's significance. For this generation returning to the AFC Under-17 Women's Asian Cup after more than two decades, reaching the quarterfinals would be a major milestone. Although the senior and Under-20 teams failed to reach the final eight in their respective tournaments this year, the Under-17 team has this golden opportunity.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
