India prepares to meet familiar foes Bangladesh in SAFF U-17 Women's Championship

Thimphu [Bhutan], August 21 : The SAFF U-17 Women's Championship 2025 is a marathon. After India made the perfect start with a 7-0 thumping of Nepal, there still remain five more games in this round-robin tournament, or in head coach Joakim Alexandersson's opinion, 'five perfect games', as per the All India Football Federation (AIFF) website.

"It's basically a league. Consistency is key," said the Swede.

Next up is the big one. The Young Tigresses will face Bangladesh on Friday, August 22, 2025, at the Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu, Bhutan.

They have been the two most successful teams in this tournament's history, having contested four finals and won two each. Bangladesh nicked the SAFF U16 Women's Championship title from India on penalties last year.

And with many players forming a part of the current U17 squad as well, this match could feel like an opportunity for the Young Tigresses to get back at their familiar foes.

Like India, Bangladesh also made a winning start, defeating hosts Bhutan 3-1 on Wednesday evening. While India's 7-0 win might sound comfortable, it wasn't the case in the first 15 minutes, at least, when there were some nervy moments and goalkeeper Munni was called into action a few times. But the 15-year-old from Rajasthan was confident and comfortable, and collected a deserved clean sheet.

"Winning 7-0 is, of course, a big result. But honestly, I wasn't satisfied with how we started. We didn't look comfortable on the ball, there were too many missed passes and turnovers. After 25-30 minutes, it was much better, and from then on, we controlled the game. Still, the quality was not at the level I want to see, and it has to improve for the next match," said Alexandersson.

There weren't any complaints in the attack, though. The Young Tigresses were ruthless in front of the goal. The forward duo of Anushka Kumari and Nira Chanu Longjam stood out with two goals and an assist to each other. Anushka was named the MVP for her two well-taken strikes.

The 14-year-old picked up from where she left off in last year's tournament. She was the joint top-scorer with five goals and has found the net in every match she has played for the country so far.

"It feels really special to be named MVP, but more than that, I'm happy I could help the team with my goals. We want to keep scoring many goals in the next games and want to take the trophy this time," said Anushka, who hails from Hazaribagh.

On the other hand, these were the first two goals in an India shirt for 14-year-old Nira, who is from the Khonghampat village in the Imphal West district of Manipur. She had bawled her eyes out after losing the dreaded penalty shoot-out against Bangladesh last year, but here she looks forward to another chance of getting her hands on the gold.

"Scoring my first goals for India is a dream come true. As a team, we have learned from last year. Now I just want to give everything for the team, score more goals and become champions," said Nira.

Alexandersson, who, along with his coaching staff, was in attendance at the Changlimithang Stadium to watch Bangladesh play Bhutan, felt that India should be the favourites against them.

"In some ways, it will be a similar game to Nepal. We know Bangladesh will try to play good football rather than sit back. I think they will press us higher, and they have players who are good at exploiting the space behind, with teammates who can deliver those passes. It will be a tough match, but I still see us as favourites," said the Young Tigresses' coach.

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