Kolkata. Indian women’s football team head coach Crispin Chhetri supported his young team despite a 0-4 defeat in the first international friendly against Russia.
He said that the team showed good fighting spirit in the initial phase and the players should learn from this experience and move forward.
In the match played at Kishore Bharti Krirangan, Russia’s Iyana Sheina gave the team the lead by scoring a brilliant goal in the 40th minute. After this, substitute player Kira Petukhova scored two consecutive goals in the 60th and 65th minutes.
Iyana Svistunova scored in the 81st minute to make Russia’s victory 4–0. In the second half, the Indian team came under pressure in front of continuous attacks from Russia.
In the press conference after the match, Chhetri said, “The positive thing about this match was that despite being a young team, we showed fighting spirit.
We are not afraid of playing under pressure nor are we afraid of running. We try to do things that are within our control.”
The head coach also appreciated the commitment of the players during the team’s 25-day training camp. He said that the players tried to face the challenge posed by Russia’s physical strength and set pieces. Chhetri said, “The most important thing is that we showed fighting spirit and did not give up. That is the best thing for me.”
Emphasis will be on maintaining rhythm for a long time
Chhetri admitted that Indian players faced difficulty due to not playing competitive football since June.
In contrast, the Russian team is in the middle of its domestic league and came on the field with better match practice. However, he said that this match will give young players the experience of playing at the international level, which will be helpful in their development.
Regarding the second friendly match to be held on October 11, Chhetri said that the team’s focus will be on improving in maintaining the intensity of the game for a long time. Also, young players who played in the final stages of the first match can be given more opportunities in the next match.
The next big target of the Indian team is the AFC Women’s Asian Cup to be held in 2029. Chhetri said that it is important to create a strong group of more players for the progress of the team.
The second match against Russia will provide another opportunity to the young Indian players to gain international experience and apply the learnings learned from the first match on the field.