India Go Up Against Resilient Timor Leste In AFC Women's Asian Cup Qualifiers

News18

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Indian women's football team will look to continue the winning momentum in the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers when they take on Timor Leste.
Following a resounding victory in their tournament opener, the Indian team aims to maintain their winning momentum in the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers as they face Timor Leste on Sunday.
Group B, consisting of five teams, is currently led by Iraq, who have secured four points after a 5-2 win over Mongolia and a 0-0 draw with Timor Leste.
Both India, having defeated Mongolia 13-0, and Thailand, with a 4-0 victory over Timor Leste, have three points each.
Despite Timor Leste being ranked 158th, 32 spots below Mongolia, India's coach Crispin Chettri anticipates a tougher challenge from the Southeast Asian team.
Having observed all teams in action after the first two matchdays, there is now a clearer understanding of the remaining three opponents.
'Timor Leste are better organised than Mongolia and, defensively, even stronger than Iraq. They prefer counter-attacks and are comfortable with possession," Chettri noted.
'They have their strengths, but Thailand dominated the match against them, so it's hard to gauge their attack. However, they have pace in their team."
Chettri and his coaching staff watched the match at the 700th Anniversary of Chiang Mai Stadium on Thursday, where Timor Leste held 46th-ranked Thailand to four goals.
India, ranked 70th, have never played against Timor Leste before.
They have participated in four editions of the ASEAN Women's Championship, with their only official win being a 2-1 victory over Singapore in 2019. Their 0-0 draw with Iraq on Monday marked their first-ever point in an AFC competition.
India used their five-day break to recover and prepare for the demanding schedule ahead, with three matches in a week. The Blue Tigresses had two morning training sessions on Tuesday and Thursday, and two sessions on Friday and Saturday.
'I believe that in a tournament with four matches, this kind of rest aids in team building. We worked on a few tactical aspects that we may not have executed well in the first match.
'We had four training sessions to focus on that, which has helped us prepare for the upcoming matches and specific teams," said Chettri.
There was no training on Wednesday, as Chettri gave the players a complete rest day to refresh, something he considers crucial between games.
'In my view, recovery and spending time away from football are important. In a high-pressure tournament with consecutive matches, taking a break from the game helps. Players return more focused to the next training session, putting in more effort, which helps them mentally too," Chettri explained.
First Published:
June 28, 2025, 15:07 IST