Indian women's football team beats UAE in international friendly match

The Indian women's football team trashed the lower-ranked United Arab Emirates 4-1 in an international friendly match on Saturday.

Manisha (20th'), Pyari Xaxa (27'), Sweety Devi (41') and Anju Tamang (75') scored for India in a match that was played behind closed doors at the UAE FA Stadium. Salha scored for the UAE in the 50th minute of the match.

India are currently ranked 57th in the FIFA chart while UAE are placed at 100th spot.

Team India are bracing for friendlies as part of their preparations for the AFC Women's Asian Cup, which is set to take place in India in 2022. The tournament will be held from January 20-February 6, 2022.

Earlier, head coach Thomas Dennerby had asserted the importance of playing quality matches to get an assessment of the preparedness ahead of the big tournament.

The Indian team will compete against the UAE national team and the Tunisian national team on October 2 and 4 respectively. Later, they will fly to Bahrain to compete against the Bahrain national team and the Chinese Taipei national team on October 10 and 13 respectively.

This was India's first win of the year. The Indian squad stepped onto the pitch for their first international match in six months. They last played in an international match against Belarus, where they tasted a 1-2 defeat in April.

India will be up against 77th ranked Tunisia for an International friendly match on October 4.

Indian football women’s team friendlies 2021 schedule and fixtures

October 4: India vs Tunisia

October 10: Bahrain vs India

October 13: India vs Chinese Taipei

Indian football women’s squad for friendlies against Bahrain:

Goalkeepers: Aditi Chauhan, Maibam Linthoingambi Devi, Shreya Hooda

Defenders: Dalima Chhibber, Sweety Devi, Ritu Rani, Ashalata Devi, Ranjana Chanu, Michel Castanha, Manisa Panna, Astam Oraon

Midfielders: Sangita Basfore, Indumathi Kathiresan, Sanju, Martina Thokchom