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Although India created a plethora of chances in their first Women's Asian Cup 2022 game, the Blue Tigresses failed to breach the Iranian defense. Ashalata Devi and Co. had to settle for just a point despite controlling the tempo of the game.
After the game, head coach Thomas Dennerby opined that a few tweaks to the attacking department would get them ready for the game against Chinese Taipei. Dennerby said:
“I think we have a solid defense and defended well whenever they tried to counter-attack. A few tweaks to our attack and we will be ready for our next opponents."
Against a resilient Iran side, India failed to find the back of the net even with over 60 percent of the possession. However, Dennerby believes coming away with a point was important. He said:
“It’s always good to come up with points in your first game, you stand a better chance of moving to the next round. We need to follow our plan and try to get points against Taipei as well."
However, the 62-year-old is not yet ready to focus on the points table as he added:
“The only thing we can do is to focus on the next opponents, and not the table."
"As a team, we could have been better" - Dalima Chhibber after clash against Iran at AFC Women's Asian Cup 2022
Meanwhile, Dalima Chhibber, who darted up and down the right flank, believed that the Blue Tigresses could have done better in the game. Speaking after ghe game, Dalima said:
“We had a good game against Iran, but as a team, we could have been better. Now, it’s all about working on those little areas and coming out with a stronger mindset. We must focus and get those points that will help us advance."
The 24-year-old further added that although they couldn't score, the number of chances that India created should definitely come as a positive. Dalima said:
“The positive we take away from our first match is that we created a lot of opportunities. That gives us a lot of confidence. Now, it’s all about keeping up that fire and the desire to get the job done in our next game. Football is all about coming back with a strong mindset the next day and that’s exactly what we aim to do."
Indumathi Kathiresan were one of the many Indian players who worked tirelessly to dominate the Iranian midfield. She lauded her Indian teammates for the strong mindset they displayed and said:
“I’ve never seen a bunch of girls with as strong a mindset as this team. We all have the belief that we can complete the task in hand and our focus is already on the next game. A good result against Taipei would go a long way to help us achieve our target."
