India U-16 girls lost against the hosts Mongolia
Amidst extreme weather
conditions, where the average temperature has been hovering around zero degree
Celsius for the last couple of days, India U-16 girls staged a gritty display
but that was not enough against the hosts Mongolia as they went down fighting
1-2 at the MFF Stadium in Ulaanbaatar today (September 21, 2018).
Following the result,
India relinquished pole position of group B in the AFC U16 Women’s Championship
Qualifiers to Laos, who are three points ahead, having played the same number
of matches. Laos have garnered 9 points from 3 matches, while India are 3 points
shy following today's result. They are slated to face-off in the final fixture
of the group on Sunday, September 23.
Meanwhile, a win against
Laos will be enough for India to advance to the second round of qualification,
owing to better head-to-head record.
Aveka didn't take more
than 6 minutes to find the target, to hand India an early lead that silenced
the crowd that turned up in the support of the hosts. A rash challenge on Anju
just outside the box, India earned a direct free-kick and Aveka curled it over
the Mongolian wall to bulge the back of the net.
The Mongolians looked
more vulnerable at the start, but they recuperated quickly to create
opportunities from both flanks. India's joy was cut short at the half-hour mark
when the midfielder Gantamur fired it home from close range which Indian goalie
Manisha didn't have an answer to.
Towards the half-time,
India got two back-to-back chances to earn the lead once again but the
resilient Mongolian defenders came to the team's rescue on both the occasions.
On a counter attack,
Aveka lobbed a long ball to an onrushing Sunita, whose pass was cut away by a
defender before it could find Shilky inside the box in the 42nd minute.
In added time, Anju took
it upon herself to launch another attack but her low volley hit the woodwork as
the girls headed to the changing room with the scoreline locked at a 1-1.
Aveka came close to
securing her brace in the 53rd minute but her right-footed grounder was tipped
away by an equally exquisite save from Mongolian goalkeeper Khaliun.
A defensive lapse from
India gifted Mongolia their second goal in the 70th minute when Khulangoo
tapped it home from close range.
Aveka was brought down
on the edge of the box again, but this time she couldn't repeat the trick as
her nimble free-kick jammed into the goalie's gloves.
India tweaked their
strategies towards the final whistle but the Mongolians dug deep to leave the
ground with all three points eventually.
INDIA: Manisha (GK),
Jyoti Kumari, Ritu Devi, Priyangka Devi, Kiran, Priyanka Sujeesh, Aveka Singh,
Lynda Kom (Poonam 85'), Sunita Munda, Anju, Shilky Devi (C).