India vs Russia Football: The Indian Women Football Team lost 0-4 to Russia in the first FIFA international friendly at the Kishore Bharti Stadium on Thursday. From the beginning of the match, Russia, ranked 27th, showed dominance in technical and physical skills. The young Indian team at number 69 is seen playing defensive football most of the time.
Defensive resistance in the first half
From the beginning, India opted for a deep defensive line-up to deal with Russian attacks one after the other. However, goalkeeper Monalisa Devi Mairangthem made several excellent saves to keep Russia at bay. The Indian defense was able to hold on for most of the first half, but that barrier was broken just before the break.
First goal in 41 minutes
Yana Sheina put Russia ahead with a goal in the 41st minute. As a result, India left the field with a 1-0 goal at the end of the first half. However, the gap did not increase due to multiple saves by Monalisa. It gradually became clear that Russia would increase the pressure in the second half.
Three goals in the second half
After the break, the pace of the Russian attack increased. Kira, who came on as a substitute in the 60th minute, took advantage of the wet field and scored. He scored again in the 70th minute to make the gap 3-0. Then Yana Svistunova’s goal in the 81st minute virtually confirmed India’s defeat. India could not create clear chances in attack. Had it not been for the goalposts and desperate defending, the margin could have been wider.
A young team without experience
Before the match, a disagreement arose between AIFF and East Bengal FC over the exclusion of footballers. In that scenario, nine East Bengal footballers were not included in Crispin Chhetri’s final squad. As a result, in the absence of several experienced senior footballers, India had to field an experimental team with several footballers from the U-20 team.
International debut of six footballers
Babysana Devi Thingbaijam, Malti Munda, Cindy Kolani, Subhangi Singh, Durga Perumal and Sibani Devi Nongmeikapam made their international debuts for the Indian team in this match. Playing against a strong opponent like Russia with a young team, India put up resistance in the first half. However, the Blue Tigresses could not handle the pressure of Russia in the second half.