"We have to play for our glory," says Indian coach Dennerby ahead of the AFC Qualifiers match against Uzbekistan

Tashkent [Uzbekistan]Oct 31 (ANI): At stake is "pride, honor and reputation" for the Indian senior women's team when they take on Uzbekistan in their final match at the Paris 2024 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament, Round 2 on Wednesday at Bunyodkor Stadium in Tashkent at 17:30 IST.

Back-to-back losses to Japan and Vietnam have dashed the Blue Tigresses' Paris dream. Two matches where India went down fairly despite showing glimpses of what they are capable of. But head coach Thomas Dennerby reiterated that when playing against teams at this level, just glimpses are never enough.

"Absolutely, the most important thing for us is to have a better build-up and not give the ball away easily. That is the main problem. We have to fill our roles in the defensive organisation," he said as quoted by the All India Football Federation (AIFF).

"But if we have our best day at work, I think we are definitely capable of drawing or winning against Vietnam. But some small individual mistakes ruined that game," he added.

After losses against two World Cup teams, India face a rather familiar face in Uzbekistan. The Blue Tigresses played a friendly with the hosts in March at the Pakhtakor Stadium, losing 2-3. Goals from Dangmei Grace and Indumathi Kathiresan canceled out goals from Diyorakhon Khabibullaeva and Lyudmila Karachik before Kamila Zaripova grabbed the win in the 92nd minute.

Awaiting a similarly tight contest again tomorrow, however, Dennerby pointed out that the biggest difference will be that this time it is a competitive match, with Uzbekistan's Olympic hopes still alive despite the 0-2 loss to Japan on Sunday. Midori Honda's side had previously beaten Vietnam 1-0 thanks to Khabibullaeva's goal.

"We are playing host and it will be tight. But still we have to play for our glory. We have to show that India is a good team. So I really hope the girls are ready to fight even if we can't make it to the Olympics next years. But it is clear that fighting for your reputation and your honor should be, I hope, enough motivation, says Dennerby.

Very little may have gone right for India, but the most positive individual performances have come from the boots of defender Ritu Rani, according to Dennerby. The 26-year-old has earned the trust of the Swedish coach, who placed her at right center back in a new five-man line-up against Japan. India had to re-adjust their backline after Dalima Chhibber's injury before the Vietnam match, where Ritu's no-nonsense performance at right-back was admired by Dennerby.

"Individually, I feel good. Winning the coach's trust and getting the chance to play is what a player wants," said Ritu.

"But as a team, our performance has not been up to the mark. Our results could have been different if we had done better," she added.

Ritu made her India debut in 2019 at the COTIF tournament in Spain, and first played during Dennerby's 2021 Brazil tour, starting in the match against Venezuela. "In that game, the coach told me that my performance stood out in the team. He trusts me to get into any situation and I'm always ready for it," she shared.

"Now football is like this. Everyone has to play in different positions. There is a difference between playing in central defense and at fullback, but I felt stable," Ritu said regarding her new position in the last match.

It is not only the defense, but also her ball-playing ability that has caught the eye. It was Ritu's free kick assist that landed India's first goal of the tournament as Sandhiya Ranganathan headed her high ball into the net.

"Now we look forward to our last game. We have nothing to lose now. Uzbekistan is a good side, but not so good that we can't beat them. We have to win this game anyway. We want to go back home with a victory," said Ritu. (ANI)


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