Football, India: Women’s
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Indians in overseas/ international teams
2022
Sudeshna Ghosh, August 20, 2022: The Times of India
‘Teammates supportive, appreciated my game’
In fact, I had played some matches for the national team that had more intensity than yesterday’s (Thursday) game and I believed I was ready for it,” Manisha added.
The closest th at Indian football had come to such a feat was when Gurpreet Singh Sandhu represented Norwegian club Stabaek in the Europa League qualifying in 2016.
The first round Wome n’s Champions League qualifying tie was also Manisha’s competitive debut for Apollon Ladies, having already scored for the Cypriot women’s champions in a pre-season friendly . It was also a winning Champions League debut for the 20-year-old as they beat the Latvian topflight club 3-0 in their European opener this season.
“I was a bit concerned that it was my first match for the club and I had got about one and a half months of training with them. Communication was also a bit of a worry ahead of the match. But once I was in, my teammates were supportive and also appreciated my game,” she said of her match experience where she played in her favourite position — the left wing — and also created a coup le of chances for Apollon.
Manisha donned the No. 12 jersey on Thursday, the same number that graced her jersey at Gokulam Kerala. Having come into limelight with her strike against Brazil — in the South American’s home — during a four-nation friendly tournament last year, it was her superlative show for Gokulam in the last edition of the India Women’s League that got her the contract in the Mediterranean country.
Crowned AIFF Women’s Footballer of the Year for 2021-22, Manisha is the second Indian woman footballer to join an overseas club this year, the other being Dangmei Grace, who signed for Uzbek club PFC Sevinch Karshi. They joined a group of elite footballers after Aditi Chauhan and Bala Devi to have plied their trade abroad. But the young winger, who has been praised by India head coach Thomas Dennerby for her “excellent speed and dribbling” and been termed “our best player” by the Swede, has age on her side to reach her full potential and fly higher in career.
AFC U-19 Championship
2018: upset win over Thailand
U-19: Indian women down Thailand, October 29, 2018: The Times of India
The Indian women's team registered a 1-0 upset win over Thailand but failed to advance to the next round of the AFC U-19 Championship Qualifiers. Grace Lalrampari scored the lone goal in the 36th minute to put India on level points with both Thailand and Nepal. But, India could not make it to the Round 2 of the Qualifiers courtesy their head-to-head result against Nepal.
When the goal difference of these three teams were counted, Thailand secured the top spot with a plus 2, while India and Nepal were tied at minus 1. Due to this, the head-to-head result between India and Nepal came into play again, and the Himalayan nation went through.
Although Thailand dominated possession, the Indian players worked hard to close down the gaps in the middle of the park.
SAFF U-19 Women’s Championship
2024
Sudeshna Ghosh, February 9, 2024: The Times of India
Kolkata: What transpired in Dhaka was nothing short of bizarre as India and Bangladesh ended up as joint winners of the SAFF U-19 Women’s Championship after the final which ended one-all during playing time, led to a shootout where 11 penalties each were scored by both sides, then a coin toss to decide the winner. It led to on field protests, a walkout and a lot of drama. In the end, reason prevailed and both teams were declared joint winners.
Eleven kicks from each team went unsaved in the penalty shootout after hosts Bangladesh earned a 93rd-minute equaliser to end regulation time on equal terms — Sagorika for the hosts cancelling Sibani Devi’s eighth-minute opener. Then, the referee Anjana Rai of Nepal called skippers Nitu Linda( India) and Afeida Khandakar (Bangladesh) to the middle of the pitch for a coin toss and declared the v isitors champions based on Linda’s right call. While the capacity crowd at the stadium were left in disbelief, the victorious Indians celebrated a crucial victory after ending up on the losing side in the 2019 summit clash against the same opponents and would have had scripted a comeback from their loss against Bangladesh in the round-robin fixture by virtue of another injury-time winner from the hosts. However, the Bangladesh contingent protested the manner of decision and complained to the match commissioner even as AIFF posted “WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS” on its ‘X’ handle.
As there is no rule for a coin toss as decider in SAFF tournament, or in the International Association Football Board rulebook, the commissioner agreed that the penalty should have been continued and decided to crown both teams champions of the 2024 edition.
UEFA Champions League
2023: Kalyan scores goal, a first
Sep 10, 2023: The Times of India
Manisha first Indian to score in UEFA CL
New Delhi: Manisha Kalyan became the first Indian to score in a UEFA Champions League game on Saturday. In the 71st minute of her game against WFC Samegrelo, the Apollon Ladies FC player received a ball just inside the box on the left and sent it dipping into the far corner for a classy goal.TNN
YEAR-WISE STATISTICS
2019
Gold Cup
Nepal beat India
Nepal beat India in Gold Cup women’s football, February 12, 2019: The Times of India
Bhubaneswar: Sabitra Bhandari struck two early goals as India slumped to a 1-2 defeat against Nepal in their second game of the Hero Gold Cup women's football tournment. Sabitra (4th, 6th minutes) scored for Nepal before India found a consolation goal through Ratanbala Devi (83rd) as the hosts suffered their first defeat in the tournament. Myanmar stay firmly seated at the top of the table with 6 points, ahead of joint second place holders India and Nepal.
U-16 girls win Dana Cup
July 30, 2019: The Times of India
U-16 girls defy odds to triumph in Denmark
YOUTH FOOTBALL
New Delhi:
An U-16 girls team made up of slum dwellers from Mumbai and players from rural Jharkhand defied all odds to win the Dana Cup football tournament in Denmark.
The team from OSCAR Foundation won the second biggest youth football tournament in the world on July 26.
Its players had faced gender discrimination in their communities and were saved from dropping out of school and early marriage because of their passion for football.
The girls took on four Norwegian teams — Bjarg IL (4-2), Skedsmo FK (5-2), Brodd FK (9-2), Hei IL (5-1) and won all the four games before their final match against Toten FK.
OSCAR Foundation went on to beat Toten FK 2-1 and lift the Dana Cup. IANS
U-17 three-nation tournament
India beats Thailand to make final
India U-17 girls beat Thailand to make final
Mumbai: India edged out Thailand 1-0 an enthralling last round-robin game of the U-17 three-nation football tournament here on Tuesday to book a place in the final againt Sweden. The only goal of the match came in 90+1 minute, through Kritina Devi and a bit of help from rival goalkeeper, Pawarisa Homyamyen. The mistake proved costly as her side was just four minutes away from making the final, but the goal ended its campaign.
A long ball from Devi was misjudged by the Thai goalkeeper, and the ball rolled into the goal. The hosts will play Sweden, against whom they had lost 0-3 in the league game, in the final.
Sweden beats India 4-0
Anil Dias, Dec 20, 2019 Times of India
It took Sweden just four minutes to open the scoring against India. After 18 minutes, the final of the trination U-17 Women’s Football Tournament at the Mumbai Football Arena was as good as over with the Swedes 3-0 ahead.
While India eventually lost 4-0, it’s not so much the results but the learnings from this preparatory tournament for the U-17 Women’s World Cup 2020 which will be held in India, that will matter.
Once the match was more or less settled when Sweden had scored their third, India were much more comfortable on the ball, but the hosts just couldn’t match their opponents in pace or strength.
The only positive they can take from this match is how they troubled their opponents on the wings. Sumati Kumari made some darting runs on the left flank but couldn’t produce the final ball for striker Lynda Kom waiting in the centre.
If they aim to put up a tough fight against the best of the world next year, India, coached by Swede Thomas Dennerby, will have to improve tremendously in all three departments. A lot of focus particularly needs to be on their defence which, as Sweden showed, can easily be beaten.
Sweden opened the scoring with little effort and, from the very beginning, it was clear that the pressure was getting to the Indian defence. Sweden forward Rusul Kafaji made the most of a scrambled clearance, controlling the ball just outside the box before unleashing a powerful lofted shot to score.
2020 Olympic qualifiers
Olympic qualifiers: Indian women draw 3-3 with Myanmar
April 10, 2019: The Times of India
Indian women’s football team held 3-3 by Myanmar
Mandalay: The Indian women’s football team missed out an opportunity to qualify for the third round of the 2020 Olympic qualifiers after it was held to a 3-3 draw by Myanmar here. The Maymol Rocky-coached side needed a win to top Group A of the Olympic qualifiers Round 2 but squandered the lead twice to play out a draw and bow out of the competition. India and Myanmar got 7 points each from 3 matches, but the home team advanced to the third round on the basis of superior goal difference.
India beats Malaysia 1-0
Women’s hockey team wins 1-0 against Malaysia, April 10, 2019: The Times of India
Kuala Lumpur: The Indian women’s hockey team struck a late goal through youngster Lalremsiami to beat hosts Malaysia and take an unassailable lead in the five-match bilateral series here. India won the first two matches 3-0 and 5-0 followed by a 4-4 draw in their previous game.
See also
Football, India: Women’s
