Bengaluru: India’s newly-appointed Swedish coach, Joakim Alexandersson, began his journey on a more than satisfactory note as the Blue Tigresses ended the year with a brilliant demolition of the Maldives, winning 14-0 at the Padukone-Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence on Monday.
It was the first of the two friendly matches scheduled against the Maldives. The second will be played at the same venue on January 2, 2025. India led 8-0 at half time.
Alexandersson handed over debuts to as many as eight players, three of whom excelled in attack, scoring eight of India’s goals in the game.
While seasoned campaigner Pyari Xaxa and debutant Lynda Kom Serto finished with hat-tricks, scoring three and four goals, respectively, Neha and Kajol Dsouza (two each), Sangita Basfore, Sorokhaibam Ranjana Chanu and Rimpa Haldar accounted for one goal each.
It was one of the Blue Tigresses’ biggest-ever victory margins in international football. In 2010, India defeated Bhutan 18-0 in the SAFF Championship in Bangladesh.
The rout started early in the seventh minute, with Pyari Xaxa brilliantly volleying in Lynda Kom’s cross from the right to score India’s opener. A minute later the Odisha forward had doubled the score, slamming the ball in after Maldives goalkeeper Aminath Leeza had parried away Sangita Basfore’s long range attempt.
Pyari turned provider in the 12th minute, her cross converted by debutant Lynda Kom this time and in the 15th, Pyari completed her hat-trick heading in from a skipper Dangmei Grace corner kick. A second debutant, Neha, got her first goal for the Blue Tigresses in the 16th minute, when her shot from an acute angle was spilled by the goalkeeper into the Maldives goal. Neha also provided a brilliant assist, laying a brilliant cross that split the Maldives defence for Lynda to double her tally in the game in the 21st.
By the time Lynda completed her hat-trick just before the half hour mark, Maldives looked to have had enough and yet it wasn’t. Neha added an eighth goal right at the end of the half to round off a dominating half.
The onslaught continued in the second half, and within six minutes of the restart, Sangita Basfore added a ninth and then provided a brilliant through ball that resulted in Lynda Kom’s fourth of the game to take India’s tally into double digits.
Defender Ranjana Chanu joined the scoring list with a right-footed curler from the top of the box in the 54th. Another one of the debutants, Kajol Dsouza, introduced as a substitute, scored two brilliant goals (59′, 66′) her second in particular showcasing fine skill and technique to get away from the marker. Substitute Rimpa Halder got her first goal between Dsouza’s strikes in the 62nd minute.
For Maldives, the final whistle couldn’t come soon enough, and to the Blue Tigresses’ credit, they took their foot off the scoring pedal in the final quarter of the game, choosing instead to control the possession and try new patterns of play in midfield.
For Alexandersson, the experiments with the team couldn’t have gone better and provided a perfect end of the year for the team.
(IANS)
