Two back-to-back defeats not with standing,debutants India are in no mood to lay down their arms before they cross swords with Kyrgyz Republic in their concluding Group B encounter of the AFC Women’s Futsal Asian Cup 2025 Qualifiers, on Sunday, January 19, 2025.
In the qualifiers for the AFC Women’s Futsal Asian Cup, the top two teams from each group, along with the best third-placed team across four groups, will qualify for the tournament, which will be held in China in May 2025.
From Group B, Indonesia and Hong Kong have already qualified after winning two matches on the trot. While Indonesia defeated Kyrgyz Republic 11-3 and India 6-0, Hong Kong made the grade after 5-0 and 4-0 wins over India and Kyrgyz Republic, respectively.
India still have a chance to make the final round in China as the best third-placed team from Group B, provided they bag full points against the Kyrgyz Republic and the outcome of the other groups comes to the aid of Joshuah Vaz’s team.
So, the battle is not over yet. Vaz is certainly disappointed with the 0-6 result against Indonesia on Friday, but the passion, aggression, and never-say-die attitude displayed by his wards didn’t escape his notice.
“I think the girls performed well, especially in the second half. Despite conceding four goals in the first half, we only allowed two in the second. Their passion and aggression made me happy. Those who know the game will agree that the girls gave their all, but the lack of experience at the international level affected our results,” said the head coach.
“We created four good scoring opportunities, and the Indonesian coach had to adjust his tactics because he found us a tough nut to crack. While our defence was solid, we still have a lot to learn in attacking,” he said.
On the upcoming match against Kyrgyz Republic, Vaz said: “I think the first goal is going to come with a lot of nerves for the players, as well as for everyone who’s watching. I think the girls know their responsibility and they all know that we still have a chance to qualify for the main tournament. And I think, tomorrow we are going to score and get the first three points on this tour.”
Kyrgyz Republic made its international futsal debut in February 2022 in Tajikistan and placed third in the 2022 and 2024 editions of CAFA Women’s Futsal Championship. Before participating in the qualifiers, they played four friendlies against Russia and Uzbekistan and lost all.
“Kyrgyz Republic jump into every tackle and they play to their hundred per cent when they are on the ball. But they are bit disorganised in terms of defending, it is something we can exploit. We have the energy to exploit and I think we can get a positive result,” Vaz said.
“Our strategy remains unchanged. While competing against some of the best in Asia, it’s important not to feel embarrassed. They have been playing futsal for the last 15 years. We need to focus on defending well and seizing scoring opportunities. In our last match, we missed chances due to lack of concentration and experience. However, we have seen improvement from game one to game two,” he said.
“I am confident that, as our national men’s futsal team did in Tajikistan, we will score in our next match,” the coach recalled.
Tanvi Mavani, a defender turned goalkeeper from Gujarat, was the most active player in the last two matches, effecting at least a dozen saves.
“The first game against Hong Kong was challenging. We were all nervous, which affected our performance. However, in the second match against Indonesia, everyone played aggressively and gave their best. Instead of worrying about conceding goals, we focused on defending and controlling the ball, which improved our game,” Tanvi said.
“Playing against strong opponents like these teams will help us grow, both as a team and individually. It builds our character by teaching us not to give up in any situation and boosts our confidence. This is our maiden venture in a futsal tournament at this level, and if we win tomorrow, it means a lot to us. The win will be an icing on the cake of the hard work we have put in over the last two months, and we are excited about it,” the goalkeeper said.
Commenting on tomorrow’s game, Tanvi said, “I approach every game neutrally, focusing solely on the ball. If I start to think about what might happen or what could go wrong, it will affect my performance. My goal is to stay focused on the game and nothing else. We just want to win tomorrow,” she declared.
(Inputs with AIFF)
