India women’s national under-17 football team’s historic FIFA World Cup dream came to an end on Monday after a 0-3 defeat against hosts China women’s national under-17 football team in the quarterfinals of the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup. India fought hard for large parts of the contest, but China’s quality and relentless pressure eventually proved too much in a game dominated by the hosts from start to finish.
The Young Tigresses had entered the quarterfinal knowing a win would secure India’s first-ever FIFA World Cup qualification through merit. Instead, the defeat brought an end to a memorable campaign that had already seen India reach the knockout stage of the tournament for the first time ever.
For 38 minutes though, India managed to frustrate one of Asia’s strongest youth sides.
Goalkeeper Basnett and defender Munni stood out during a disciplined defensive effort as China dominated possession and repeatedly pushed India deep into their own half.
But the breakthrough finally arrived in the 38th minute.
A sharp passing move down the left completely opened up India’s defence before Huang Qinyi finished from close range to give China the lead.
Things became even tougher for India deep into first-half stoppage time when China won a penalty and Liu Yuxi calmly converted to make it 2-0 before the break.
HOW CHINA DOMINATED INDIA IN THE QUARTERFINAL
The numbers from the match reflected China’s dominance throughout the contest.
The hosts finished with nearly 75 percent possession and ended the game with 28 shots compared to India’s single attempt.
China barely allowed India any time on the ball and constantly forced the Young Tigresses into defending inside their own final third.
Even after taking the lead, China continued attacking with intensity and never really allowed India to settle into the game.
Li Qixian eventually added a late third goal in the 90th minute to seal China’s place in the semifinals.
India, meanwhile, struggled to create attacking opportunities as the physicality, movement and tempo from the hosts kept stretching the defence across the match.
INDIA’S WORLD CUP DREAM ENDS, BUT NOT THE PROMISE
While the defeat ended India’s hopes of reaching the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, the campaign itself still marked a major step forward for the side.
India had already created history earlier in the tournament by reaching the knockout stage of the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup for the very first time after their commanding 4-0 win over Lebanon.
It was also the first time since 2004 that an Indian women’s side had reached the knockout stage of an AFC tournament.
Players like Basnett and Munni showed plenty of promise during the tournament despite the difficult quarterfinal against one of Asia’s strongest teams.
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