Indian women’s football team beats Bahrain 5-0 in international friendly
Pyari Xaxa (twice), Sangita Basfore, Indumathi Kathiresan and Manisha Kalyan were the goal-scorers. India have now won two of their last three matches.
The Indian women’s football team won its second game in three matches under new coach Thomas Dennerby after it blanked hosts Bahrain 5-0 in their friendly at Hamad Town Stadium on Sunday.
Sangita Basfore opened the account for India in the 13th minute while Pyari Xaxa scored a brace (19th and 68th minutes). Indumathi Kathiresan (34th minute) and Manisha Kalyan (69th minute) were the other goal-scorers in the game.
The Indian women’s football team is ranked 57th in the world while Bahrain are 85th.
India earlier beat the world No. 100 UAE 4-1 for their first win of the year and then lost 1-0 to the 77th ranked Tunisia. Both matches were played in the UAE.
“We have made huge progress during this tour. We have conceded very few chances, and it is a positive that we have a strong defensive structure,” Thomas Dennerby said. “The team has also been performing well at the attacking end of the pitch. We have scored four goals against the UAE, and five against Bahrain.
“However, we were disappointed not to score against Tunisia, and it shows that we need to improve our efficiency in front of goal. We also need to have a much better presentation in crucial phases of the game,” Dennerby pointed out.
The matches are a part of the preparations for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2022, which will be held in India in February.
India will now play Chinese Taipei, ranked 40th, on Wednesday in the final match of their tour of the Middle East.
India women have played eight matches this year and lost six. The Indian women’s football team had gone down to Serbia, Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Belarus earlier this year.