India will look to ebook their place within the ultimate with a sport to spare when Pamela Conti’s Below-17 facet tackle a powerful Bangladesh facet of their second match of the SAFF U19 Ladies’s Championship on the Pokhara Rangasala Stadium right here on Monday.
Fielding their U-17 group as a part of preparations for the AFC U17 Ladies’s Asian Cup in China later this 12 months, India started their marketing campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 win over hosts Nepal.
One other victory towards Bangladesh, coupled with Bhutan failing to beat Nepal within the later kick-off, will verify India’s spot within the title conflict.
The Younger Tigresses had been pushed exhausting by Nepal, with the decisive aim coming within the forty ninth minute by way of Pearl Fernandes, the 16-year-old striker’s tenth aim for the U17 nationwide facet.
Reflecting on her first match in cost, head coach Conti felt her gamers had been keen however nonetheless adapting to her system.
“In my humble opinion, with me being a brand new coach, the gamers had a powerful need to do extra, and to show themselves. They’re nonetheless not totally safe of their place within the group, they usually wish to present extra, which led us to make extra errors than common.
“General, I’m blissful as a result of I noticed good issues. However there have been additionally issues that weren’t so good, which we have to work on. And that’s precisely why we’re right here,” she mentioned.
Regardless of the picturesque backdrop of the Annapurna Himalayan vary, the Pokhara pitch situations posed challenges to India’s possession-based model.
“The standard of the bottom did have an effect on us so much. It makes taking part in with ball management and passing far more troublesome. We’ve technically expert gamers, and had been superior to Nepal in that facet, however the situations positively performed their half,” the Italian added.
Consideration now shifts to Bangladesh, who stormed into the event with a commanding 12-0 win over Bhutan and are anticipated to supply a sterner bodily check.
Conti and her workers even watched their rivals in motion to evaluate their strengths.
“I believe Bangladesh are a bodily sturdy opponent. We have to take that under consideration. I imagine that technically, we are able to harm them so much if we work higher.
“However on the identical time, I all the time suppose that there’s far more to work on. Whether or not you win, lose, or draw, it’s important to come again and say: this isn’t sufficient, we can’t be glad with what we now have.
“And for us, with little or no time working collectively, the gamers have needed to be taught a brand new system of play that we now have launched. We’ve to enhance so much to realize outcomes. Meaning working, particularly on the bodily facet,” she added.
Revealed – February 02, 2026 03:49 am IST
