Blue Tigresses seek redemption in round two

India take on Uzbekistan in second FIFA friendly today

Bengaluru: Regrouped and refreshed after the 0-1 defeat against Uzbekistan in the first of two FIFA Women’s International Friendlies, the senior Indian women’s national team are gearing up for round two against the White Wolves.

The Blue Tigresses face Uzbekistan in the second friendly at the Padukone-Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence in Bengaluru, today, with the kick-off slated for 4.30 p.m.

India head coach Crispin Chettri, who dished out debuts to three players in the first match (Manisha Naik, Malavika P, and Priyadharshini Selladurai), expressed his desire to continue in the same experimental vein for the second match as well.

“Both these matches are completely experimental for us.

Giving chances to new players and seeing their mindset at this level is of paramount importance,” said Chettri.

“Maybe we could experiment with a certain change in system as well, but the core philosophy will remain the same.

“We must maintain composure, and not just kick the ball and hope things will happen.”

Chettri was all praises for India’s opponents on the eve of the match. “They are quite good, both physically and technically. All the players are technically aware of their responsibilities, and are very good at set-pieces, be it corners, free-kicks, or throw-ins.

“We can’t make too many changes in such a short time, but we’ve worked on a few things that we were lacking at,” he said.

India midfielder Sangita Basfore is confident that the Blue Tigresses are up for the challenge. “We were all upset after the loss in the last game because we knew we had the potential to win.

But we learned some valuable lessons, and the girls are determined to not repeat the same mistakes again,” said Sangita. “I personally feel mentally refreshed and ready for the next challenge. I’m confident that we will set up and perform better in the next game.”