Selayang, Oct 10 (IANS) The India U17 women’s national team will take on hosts Malaysia in a decisive Group E qualifier at the MP Selayang Stadium on Sunday, October 11, with a draw enough to secure their place in the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2027.
India and Malaysia are level on six points after winning their opening two matches, setting up a direct contest for the group’s sole qualifying spot. India lead on goal difference, having scored 16 goals without conceding, while Malaysia have scored five and also kept two clean sheets.
Only the eight group winners will advance to the continental tournament, joining defending champions DPR Korea, Japan, Australia and hosts China PR, who qualified directly after finishing in the top four at the 2026 edition.
India, who reached the quarter-finals of the previous tournament to make the knockout stage for the first time, now have an opportunity to become the first Indian team to qualify for consecutive Women’s Asian Cups in any age category, including the senior level.
Head coach Joakim Alexandersson, however, has urged his players to approach the contest with a winning mentality rather than play for a draw.
“We have to go into the game trying to win. With young players, it is difficult to tell them that a draw will be enough. We will try to win the game, but at the same time, we have to attack with a little more sense and find the right balance,” Alexandersson was quoted by AIFF.
The Young Tigresses began their campaign with a record 14-0 victory over Iraq before beating Syria 2-0 on Thursday. Malaysia, meanwhile, defeated Syria 1-0 and followed it up with a 4-0 win over Iraq.
Forward Anushka Kumari has been central to India’s attacking effort, scoring five goals against Iraq and both strikes against Syria to take her tally to seven.
“It feels very good to score seven goals, but it is not only about me. My teammates are creating the chances and giving me the passes, and I am trying to convert them. It is a team effort. We have all been working very hard, and I am very thankful to the team and to the coach for their support,” said the 15-year-old.
“We could have scored more against Syria, but we were not clinical enough. We have to improve, move our attacks faster and move the ball quicker to unsettle the opponent. That is something we need to do against Malaysia,” Anushka said.
After a demanding schedule of training sessions and two matches in four days, Alexandersson gave the players a lighter programme on Friday, including activation exercises, light strength work and a pool session. The team will hold its official training session under floodlights on Saturday evening.
“I made the decision to give them some rest because I felt we had been training and playing games every day. Before the last game, I felt it was important to save some energy,” Alexandersson said.
“Now the focus is completely on the Malaysia match. We will go through how we want to defend against them, where their weaknesses are, how we can punish them and who their most important players are. These are the things we want to make clear to the players.”
India will also draw on the experience of 13 players who featured in the previous U17 cycle that qualified for the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2026. Captain Abhista Basnett, goalkeeper Munni and Anushka are among those returning.
“Obviously, it helps a lot,” Alexandersson said of the returning players. “They know what it is like to play these kinds of games. Most of them are now better at communicating, and they try to support the new players in a good way. The way they play also brings a certain calmness to the whole team, and that is very important.”
Despite India’s superior goal difference, the Swedish coach cautioned against complacency ahead of the decisive fixture.
“Even if people outside think we are the favourites, we must always stay humble, whoever we are facing. In every sport, you have to be humble and respect the opponent,” he said.
“Of course, self-confidence is important. You need to believe in what you are doing, but you also have to do the hard work in the games. As long as we stick to our principles and try to work harder than the opponent, I feel we have a good advantage.”
–IANS
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