Suzhou [China], May 7 : After facing the two heavyweight sides of the group, Australia and Japan, the equation for India at the AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup China 2026 has now become clear. One final match and one final chance to make the quarter-finals.
India will face Lebanon in their last Group B fixture at the Suzhou Taihu Football Sports Centre Pitch 8 on Friday, at 13:00 IST, knowing that a victory could be enough to seal a historic first-ever qualification to the knockout stage of the competition, according to a press release.
Goalkeeper Munni said after Thursday's training session at Pitch 6 of the centre, "Tomorrow is our last match of the group stage, and if we win, we will qualify. The feeling after training is good. We believe we can win this match. So, we need to stay fully focused on it."
Despite defeats against Australia (0-2) and Japan (0-3), the Young Tigresses remain alive in the race for the knockout stage as one of the two best third-placed teams. India currently holds a superior goal difference of -5 compared to Group C sides Philippines (-13) and Chinese Taipei (-14), who face each other on the final matchday. That means either side would require a heavy-margin victory to overtake India's goal difference if the Young Tigresses defeat Lebanon.
Furthermore, if Thursday evening's Group A fixture between Vietnam and Myanmar ends in a draw or the latter wins by less than three goals, India will confirm their place in the last eight with a victory, irrespective of the Group C result.
For India, playing their first AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup in 21 years, progressing beyond the group stage would mark a historic achievement.
"We have to play thinking about India and give our all for the country," Munni said.
"The previous two teams were very tough, but Lebanon are nearer to our level, and we respect them but believe we can beat them. Their strikers are good, so we need to stay alert. We need to attack with discipline, and we believe we can score goals against them," she said.
The 16-year-old goalkeeper from Rajasthan was one of India's standout performers against Japan, particularly during the narrow opening phases, where India held firm for almost an hour before eventually conceding.
"In both matches, especially the last one, I had to work a lot and stay very busy," Munni said. "Against Japan, we defended really well for around 60 minutes, and that itself was a big thing. We could have done even better against Australia, too. Overall, we performed well in both games.
"Personally, the Japan match was probably the most difficult match of my life, but also one of my best. I played well, even though goals were conceded. Those things happen in football."
Head coach Pamela Conti expects a very different challenge against Lebanon compared to the previous two matches. The Italian believes the contest will demand more attacking flair since both teams require a win to qualify. The West Asians, making their debut in the tournament, opened with a 0-13 loss against Japan, followed by a sensational point in a 1-1 draw with Australia.
"I watched Lebanon's game against Australia that ended 1-1. They are a team at our level, but they have very good attacking players. We need to be careful and not open up too much, because they can hurt us on the counter-attack. It will be a very intelligent game, and we must remember it's 90 minutes. It's a match where everything is at stake," said Conti.
Unlike the opening two matches, where India spent large phases defending deep against physically and technically superior opponents, the Young Tigresses now have to play with greater attacking intent.
On Wednesday, the girls had recovery sessions indoors in the gym and the swimming pool. On Thursday, they had a 90-minute official training session involving tactical and set-piece work, and small-sided games.
Centre-back Elizabed Lakra explained that the team has specifically worked on both attacking and defensive scenarios during training.
"We are feeling great after training. We will give our full effort to win the game and qualify for the quarter-finals," Elizabeth said.
"In training, we worked on how to attack and also how to defend our goal against the way they attack. We practised those situations. In the first two matches, we had to defend a lot. But now, in the next match, we need to score goals because it's simple - either we win, or we go home. We are going with that mindset," the 16-year-old from Jharkhand added.
"Our role as a team tomorrow will be to attack as much as possible because we need goals. Even if we win by one goal, we have a great chance to make it into the last eight. So, we will try to score as many goals as possible because we want to reach the quarter-finals."
Conti revealed that the team had long anticipated this decisive final group-stage encounter.
"I expect the girls to continue working hard and giving everything. I trust them a lot. We have prepared for this. We knew our qualification would come down to the match against Lebanon, and now we must give it everything," she said.
The stakes are not lost on the squad. For a generation returning India to the AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup after more than two decades, the possibility of reaching the quarter-finals would represent another milestone in what has already been a landmark year for Indian women's football across senior, U20 and U17 levels.
While the former two could not make the last eight in their respective tournaments earlier this year, the U17 now have the golden opportunity to make it happen.
"If we qualify, it will be an incredible achievement for everyone, and for the country. We are focused on giving that joy to the nation. I hope it happens for the staff, for us, and especially for the players, because they are the protagonists," Conti said.
Munni shared similar sentiments. She said, "If we qualify for the quarter-finals, it will be a huge achievement for us because our group was very difficult. If we manage to win and qualify, it will feel amazing because all Indians believe in us and believe that we can do it."
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