In their second match against the Argentina junior women's team here at Cenard in Buenos Aires, the Indian women led by striker R Rampal drew 1-1 in a closely-fought match. It was skipper R's goal that helped hold the home team to a draw. In their previous game too, both teams played out a 2-2 draw.
"Today the quality of play was better and that's why we are here -- to improve in every match. Today players got the chance to show their best and these are players who normally don't get a chance to make the 18-member squad so it's good they are able to get international exposure. It is also good for the core group that we are getting to try more players and see how different combinations work," Indian women's team's chief coach Sjoerd Marijne said in a statement.
Having begun the match on an attacking note, equipped by good speed and precision in rotating the ball, India looked for potential openings in the striking circle. Their attempts won them a PC in the very first minute of the match. But Gurjit Kaur's powerful drag was saved by the Argentine goalkeeper.
India won another opportunity in the 5th minute when they earned a PC, but Deep Grace Ekka's shot went wide, missing the net. In the following minutes, the home side won three PCs in the 9th, 11th, and 13th minute. They converted the goal in a retake in the 13th minute, taking a 1-0 lead.
While India created plenty of opportunities to score in the second and third quarter, making a number of circle penetrations, they were unable to beat the Argentine defence. India earned four more PCs (37th, 43rd, 48th, and 58th minutes) in the course of the game and eventually succeeded in the 58th minute when a powerful injection by Navneet Kaur was well received and powerfully struck by R.
India will take on the Argentina B Team on January 23.
( With inputs from ANI )
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