Suzhou (China) In a significant achievement, India qualified for the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup quarter-finals for the first time with a commanding 4-0 victory against Lebanon in their final Group B fixture here on Friday.
India’s entry into the quarters was confirmed after the Philippines and Chinese Taipei failed to win their final head-to-head Group C match by a margin of 12 goals or more. India made the last eight as one of the two best third-placed teams alongside Thailand.
India finished the group stage with three points and a goal difference of -1, significantly higher than Philippines’ -13 in Group C.
Pritika Barman (7th, 85th minutes), Alva Devi Senjam (36th), and Joya (72nd) had earlier put India on the verge of qualification with their strikes at the Suzhou Taihu Football Sports Centre.
This is India’s first win and first goals in the tournament since 2005, and also it marked the team’s first-ever qualification to the knockout stage at the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup.
In women’s football, it is India’s first Asian Cup knockout stage appearance since the AFC U-19 Championship in 2004, when the team reached the quarter-finals.
In the quarter-final, India will face hosts China, who topped Group A with nine points, on Monday.
A win in the quarter-final would secure qualification to the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco, which would be India’s first FIFA World Cup qualification on merit at any level, men’s or women’s.
Knowing only a win would keep their qualification hopes alive, India, who made only one change from their last game, with Anushka Kumari replacing Pearl Fernandes, began with intent and took the lead as early as in the sixth minute.
Divyani Linda launched a long ball forward from right-back, which Pritika controlled brilliantly before twisting past Lebanon defender Joya Bou Assaf. The winger then unleashed a superb left-footed strike beyond goalkeeper Marie Joe Chebly to hand India the perfect start.
The early breakthrough settled the Young Tigresses, who quickly established control of the proceedings with confident passing and aggressive pressing in the attacking third.
India nearly doubled their lead moments later when Anushka Kumari found space inside the box, but her effort was well saved by Marie. Pritika continued to trouble the Lebanese defence and came close to grabbing her second in the 16th minute, only to be denied again by the goalkeeper.
Lebanon struggled to cope with India’s movement in wide areas, while the Indian midfield maintained pressure through quick transitions and intelligent positioning.
The second goal finally arrived in the 35th minute. Redima Devi Chingkhamayum threaded a pass towards Alva Devi Senjam at the edge of the box, and the forward surged past Gianna Frangieh before calmly slotting the ball beyond the advancing goalkeeper to give India a deserved 2-0 advantage at half-time.
India resumed the second half with the same attacking intensity and continued to push Lebanon deeper into their own half. The Young Tigresses controlled possession for long spells and looked dangerous whenever they advanced through the flanks.
Their dominance was rewarded in the 72nd minute through a moment of individual brilliance from Joya. Receiving the ball on the left wing, the substitute displayed excellent close control before cutting inside, skipping past two defenders and curling a fine right-footed strike into the net to make it 3-0.
India sealed an outstanding performance five minutes from time as Pritika completed her brace. Breaking forward from the right wing, she drove into the penalty area unchallenged before calmly finishing past Marie to put the result beyond doubt.
The final whistle confirmed a historic evening for the Young Tigresses, who secured their first victory in the competition in over two decades.
