India will face hosts Bangladesh in the 2023 SAFF U-17 Women’s Championship. It will be held at the BSSS Mostafa Kamal Stadium on Friday, looking for their second consecutive victory.
On Monday, India began their campaign with a good 4-1 victory over Nepal. With Shilji Shaji scoring a hat-trick and Pooja adding another.
“We are happy to have won the first match because it’s the first time our players are participating in a big competition like this,” stated India head coach Priya P.V. “We are playing on an artificial pitch here which is different from the grounds we have been practising on. The girls performed well, so I’m very happy with that.”
Yet, Priya recognised that the midfield has a lot of space for growth. “We believe if we focus a little more in the midfield and coordinate better, we will be able to do well going forward”. Thus far in the competition, India’s opponents Bangladesh have a victory and a defeat. After an 8-1 victory against Bhutan on Monday, the hosts were blanked 0-3 by the invited team Russia on Wednesday. Priya, who was paying careful attention to both of their games, stated, “Bangladesh look like a very good team. They scored eight in their first game. And even against Russia, they were good defensively and were successful in blocking most of their attacks”. “They will feel confident at home. And their experience of playing on the artificial pitch will be an advantage for them,” she continued.
Following the Bangladesh match, India will compete in the SAFF U-17 Women’s Championship against Bhutan (March 26) and Russia (March 28). The team with the highest ranking at the end of the round-robin stage will be proclaimed winners.
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