Young Tigresses make history with back-to-back berths in U17 Asian Cup

The India Under-17 women’s team made history on Sunday evening by becoming the first Indian side to qualify for back-to-back Women’s Asian Cups in any age category. A commanding 4-0 win over hosts Malaysia at the rain-soaked MP Selayang Stadium in Selayang helped India top Group A and secure qualification for the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2027.

The Young Tigresses finished with nine points from three matches, remaining unbeaten and without conceding a goal. Malaysia finished second with six points, followed by Syria and Iraq. The Swedish head coach Joakim Alexandersson’s side had earlier thrashed Iraq 14-0 and defeated Syria 2-0, marking a rare occasion when an Indian team scored 20 goals in three group-stage matches.

Redima Devi Chingkhamayum put India ahead midway through the first half with a stunning long-range strike, while Pritika Barman, Anushka Kumari and Nidhi scored a goal each in the second half.

Heavy rain throughout the day had left the ground slushy, with puddles of water collecting across the pitch. The ball often came to a stop, disrupting fluent moves and forcing players to expend more energy. India’s dominance was so pronounced that they could have built a substantial lead within the first 25 minutes had it not been for some fine saves by the home side’s goalkeeper, Putri Aina Husna Binto Mohd Subri.

As the final whistle blew, the Indian camp erupted in joy, with smiles all around. The local crowd also gave the team a huge round of applause as the Young Tigresses booked their ticket to China with impressive performances in all three matches.

The team certainly reaped the benefits of an extensive preparatory camp that began in Bengaluru in July, followed by a trip to Tashkent last month, where they played two friendlies against Uzbekistan, both ending in goalless draws. After returning to India, they continued their preparations in Goa, where they hosted two closed-door friendlies against the Philippines, losing 2-4 before bouncing back with a 2-0 victory.

Alexandersson, who has also been in charge of the U-17 and U-20 teams, said ahead of the qualifiers: “We have had very good preparations in Goa, with a very good grass pitch and a good stay. The games against the Philippines gave us a good picture of how we should start our qualifiers.”