DHAKA, Feb 5: Despite the Young Tigresses delivering a strong performance against the hosts, the match appeared destined for a draw.
However, fate had other plans, and in the closing moments, Bangladesh emerged successful once again over India. After the match, tears filled the eyes of the Indian girls, exposing the strong emotions evoked by the result.
“We entered the match with confidence, expecting a victory, but a minor error cost us the game. Despite a number of attempts on goal, our own mistakes stopped us from capitalising on those opportunities. While our defence was solid, our focus remained on attacking,” said Neha as quoted by AIFF website.
“Our strategy was to leverage our strengths, but unfortunately, we fell short. Bangladesh proved to be faster, and we knew they had a lot of speed, and regardless of my effort in the first half, my shot from the left turned into a low strike, missing the goal. Although we executed good crosses, they went unconverted,” she added
Despite the let down, girls were mindful of the upcoming test against Nepal on Tuesday at the BSSSMK Stadium.
Head coach Sukla Dutta is aware of the situation and said: “My mindset has always been geared towards winning, whether in coaching or in my playing career. Currently, I am not thinking about point calculations or goal differences. I have stressed this to my players as well and told them the importance of focussing on winning tomorrow to secure a spot in the final.”
Coach Sukla also has a fine knowledge of her opponents and their style of play.
“Having observed Nepal’s gameplay, I have identified their strengths and weaknesses, and I have formulated a plan accordingly. Improving ball positioning and scoring ability is crucial. I did not get the support of a ball holder in yesterday’s match, which I will need tomorrow.
Nepal tend to play defensively to obstruct the opponents’ goals, and our strategy will involve breaking through their defensive stance and engaging in 1v1 scenarios, and that is exactly what I am going to practice at the training this evening.
It will be on my attacking strategies, ball positioning, and how to handle 1v1 situations,” Sukla mentioned. (IANS)
