In the previous edition last year, the Indians had produced their best-ever performance by reaching the quarter-finals of the U17 women’s Asian Cup
Share Article
https://www.india.com/sports/football/indian-womens-u17-football-team-scripts-history-as-young-tigresses-secure-back-to-back-afc-asian-cup-qualification-8535168/
File photo of the Indian U17 women’s team(Photo: AIFF)
India’s U17 women’s team defeated hosts Malaysia 4-0 to qualify for the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2027 on SundayThe victory at the MP Selayang Stadium in Selayang helped the Young Tigresses finish top of Group E with a perfect record of three wins from three matches.
The result also created history for Indian women’s footballIndia became the first Indian women’s national team at any age level to qualify for consecutive editions of the Women’s Asian Cup.
India went into the match knowing that a draw would be enough to secure qualification after winning their first two games against Iraq and SyriaHowever, head coach Joakim Alexandersson’s side produced another strong performance to finish the qualifying campaign without dropping a point or conceding a goal.
Redima Devi Chingkhamayum opened the scoring in the 29th minute with a long-range strike to give India the leadThe Young Tigresses continued to press after the break and scored three more goals to seal a comfortable victory.
Pritika Barman doubled India’s advantage in the 51st minute before Anushka Kumari made it 3-0 five minutes laterNidhi added the fourth goal in the 87th minute to complete the win.
India’s midfield played an important role in controlling the matchRedima and Thandamoni Baskey helped the team move the ball forward with quick passes while also stopping Malaysia from building attacksThe Indian defence remained organised and did not allow the hosts to find a way back into the contest.
The Young Tigresses could have scored more goals, but Malaysian goalkeeper Putri Aina Husna made several saves to keep the scoreline down.
India finish qualifiers unbeaten
India began their campaign with a record 14-0 win over Iraq on October 5Anushka Kumari scored five goals in that match as India registered their biggest-ever victory at this level.
They followed it up with a 2-0 win against Syria on October 8, with Anushka scoring both goals to take her tally to seven in the qualifiers before the final match.
The 4-0 win over Malaysia took India’s total to 20 goals in three matches, with none concededThe team finished Group E with nine points, while Malaysia ended second with six points.
Only the group winners qualify from the qualifying competition, making India’s performance against Malaysia decisive in securing their place at the continental tournament.
The AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2027 will give India another chance to compete against the strongest youth teams in AsiaThe Young Tigresses had reached the quarter-finals of the 2026 edition, which was the nation’s best-ever performance in the competitionHow far can they go this time around? Time will tell.
