Tashkent [Uzbekistan], October 27 (ANI): Japan seven, India nil. Calling it a tough day for the Indian ladies’s group can be an understatement. But there isn’t any embarrassment in any respect in dropping to a world-class opponent like Japan. A group that put 4 previous eventual champions Spain within the World Cup was at all times going to be the mom of all challenges for the Blue Tigresses.
“We knew already before the game that we were going to play one of the best teams in the world. And honestly, I’m quite impressed with Japan and the individual skills of their players. It’s lovely to see them playing football, the moving, the passing, the touches, everything. It’s a super good team,” mentioned India head coach Thomas Dennerby after the match as quoted by an All India Football Federation (AIFF) press releaseAt half-time, it was solely 0-1. India, very a lot within the recreation. Lining up with a again three of Ritu Rani, Ashalata Devi and Sweety Devi, India thwarted numerous Japanese assaults, irritating the Eighth-ranked aspect. “I think in the first half we could keep our team shape very well, and we defended with our hearts and fought very, very hard. We couldn’t create so much, but the defending game was definitely good,” shared the Swede.
The issues began proper at the beginning of the second half. It turned out that Japan wanted that 15-minute breather greater than India. And when Yoshino Nakashima scored her and Japan’s second lower than a minute after the restart, the floodgates opened. Three extra targets within the subsequent 10 minutes, and the courageous Indian backline of the primary half was rendered right into a hapless one.
“When we came to the second half, we gave away the ball just outside our own penalty box. And after 0-2 already in the first minute of the second half, the team morale dropped a little bit,” defined Dennerby.
“We couldn’t keep the team shape, and if you can’t do that and give the Japanese players half a metre extra, they are so skilled to utilise that. And they did.”The concern for Dennerby, wasn’t conceding targets. It was the way through which his aspect did. “The only thing I couldn’t live with is that we gave away the ball just outside our own box. One of the things when you play a team like Japan is that you need to have discipline. You need to play a proper pass outside your own box. You don’t go backwards and give the ball away.”By the time the Blue Tigresses managed to compose themselves, it was already 5. There was no different selection however to enter injury limitation mode. Perhaps had India held the fort for longer at the beginning of the second half, the story may’ve been totally different. “After 0-2, of course, it’s uphill. You lose a little bit of focus and get tired. But I’m not only talking about the fitness level. Mental fatigue is also there. Then it’s tough,” mentioned Dennerby.
Enough in regards to the points. Every defeat hurts, however there isn’t any recreation the place you do not be taught one thing. India’s entries within the Japanese half have been restricted, however gamers like Anju Tamang and substitute Soumya Guguloth tried their finest to stretch the play and trigger no matter hassle they may. The likelihood at dying, which was shot over by Tamang, was the closest India got here to a comfort aim. “If we had been a little bit lucky,we could have scored in the end and gotten a goal against Japan. That would have been nice for India. It would have been fun to score to boost the team spirit and morale,” wished Dennerby.
The participant who impressed the coach probably the most was centre-back Ritu Rani. “I’m proud because no one was giving up the game. I would say that Ritu Rani played her super game today. She was fighting so hard in the defending line, and it was really fun to see her,” he praised.
But India’s Olympic dream remains to be alive. Next up, Vietnam after which Uzbekistan–two groups Dennerby feels India are on extra equal footing with. Six factors will give his women an opportunity to qualify for the following spherical as the most effective runners-up.
“We are now looking forward to it. The two most important games for us are coming up. Vietnam and Uzbekistan. Hopefully, this game helps us reach a higher tempo so that we can handle the next two games. It’s more important for us to win against them. But of course, it’s going to be two really tough games. We have been watching videos of our opponents, so we know a lot about them.”India will face Vietnam on Sunday, October 29, 2023, on the Lokomotiv Stadium in Tashkent at 15:30 IST. (ANI)