NEW DELHI: India’s U17 women’s side made a stunning start to their AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers campaign, registering their biggest-ever victory with a 14-0 demolition of Iraq at the MP Selayang Stadium in Selayang, Malaysia, on Monday.The Young Tigresses broke their previous record wins of 12-0 against the UAE in 2014 and Sri Lanka in 2018 with a ruthless attacking display that left Iraq struggling to cope for much of the contest.Anushka Kumari led the rout with five goals and was named Player of the Match, while skipper and centre-back Abhista Basnett scored twice. Silky Devi Sorokhaibam, Thandamoni Baskey, Nira Chanu Longjam, Pritika Barman, Joya and Alva Devi Senjam were also on the scoresheet.
India run riot before weather interruption
India dominated from the opening whistle, combining ceaseless running, close marking and sharp one-touch passing to deny Iraq time and space.Joakim Alexandersson’s midfield controlled the game with neat distribution and compact positioning, while Redima Devi Chingkhamayum, Thandamoni, Silky and Alva repeatedly used the width to stretch the Iraqi defence.The pressure soon told as India raced into a commanding lead. Anushka struck twice before Silky scored twice for her first international goals. Thandamoni and Nira added one each as India went into the interval with a remarkable 7-0 lead.Anushka completed her fourth goal just two minutes after the restart, sweeping home a cross from Alva. Substitute Pritika then made it 9-0 by converting a rebound after substitute goalkeeper Asmaa Shivan Ahmed had initially denied India.The floodgates remained open, although the Iraqi goalkeeper produced a couple of good saves to prevent the margin from growing further.Then came an unexpected interruption.Play was halted after 64 minutes because of inclement weather, with lightning and thunder forcing the players off the field. The match resumed after a 30-minute stoppage.
Young Tigresses break record after restart
The weather break did little to slow India down.Abhista rose highest to head home Ritu Badaik’s dipping corner from the right before Anushka added her fifth, placing the ball into the net from just outside the box.Joya then found an empty net after Pritika rounded the goalkeeper and squared the ball across the box, taking India to 12-0 and level with their previous record victory.Abhista headed in another Ritu corner to make it 13-0 and set a new benchmark for India at this age-group level.The record was extended further in added time. Yashica Haribabu’s free-kick came back off the bar before Abhista’s follow-up effort dropped into the six-yard box, allowing Alva to head home and complete the 14-0 rout.India will next face Syria on October 8 at 1pm IST before taking on hosts Malaysia on October 11 at 6:30pm IST in Group E. Only the group winners will qualify for the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2027.
