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India U-19 women's team got their SAFF U-19 Women's Championship campaign underway with a 5-0 win over Sri Lanka in Dhaka on Monday evening. As the scoreline suggests, it was a five-star display from manager Alex Ambrose's side at the BSSS Mostafa Kamal Stadium.
This is only the second edition of the SAFF U-19 Women's Championship. The previous tournament was held in Bhutan in 2019 and was won by Bangladesh, with India finishing third.
For the 2021 edition in Dhaka, India have sent a relatively young squad with as many as 15 players aged 17 or below. Hemam Shilky Devi, who toured Brazil with the senior squad a couple of weeks ago, was named captain for the tournament.
India lined-up as favorites against Sri Lanka, who lost their first match 5-0 to Bhutan on Saturday.
Santosh handed India the lead inside a couple of minutes. She connected Ritu Devi's cross from the right flank with a great volley. It was initially saved by the goalkeeper but Santosh followed-up and bundled in the rebound.
India wasted no time and doubled their lead in the 5th minute. A miscued clearance from the Sri Lankan defense fell for Santhiya Nadupatti, who headed it back to Karen Estrocio. The forward had an open goal to aim for and made no mistake in heading it in for 2-0.
It was made 3-0 inside the first 10 minutes by 15-year old Nitu Linda, the youngest member of the team. She scored from the outside of her boot after dribbling past two defenders. Nitu added her second of the night in the 41st minute with a neat right-footed finish into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.
India could only add one more goal in the second half. It could have easily been more had Alex Ambrose's girls finished their chances. Sri Lanka also rode their luck on a couple of occasions as Lynda Kom and Nitu Linda both struck the post. The latter could have completed the hat-trick if her header hadn't come off the upright in the 81st minute.
Substitute Priyangka Devi got in on the action and made it 5-0 with an exquisite long range finish in the 82nd minute. She picked up the ball from outside the area. She took a touch to set herself up before unleashing a left-footed strike into the roof of the net.
India might be slightly disappointed not to come away with more goals given how dominant they were on the night. This especially after having made a blistering start to the contest. Nevertheless, it's still three points for the young team and a perfect start to the SAFF U-19 Women's Championship.
Up next for Alex Ambrose's team is a clash against Bhutan on Wednesday, December 15th at 06:30 PM IST. India will also face Nepal and Bangladesh after that. The top two sides at the end of the round-robin stage will contest the final on December 22nd.
Poll : Can India win the SAFF U-19 Women's Championship?
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