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Despite creating several chances in their opening Women's Asian Cup 2022 match, India were unable to break down the Iranian defense. Head coach Thomas Dennerby believes the Blue Tigresses lacked sharpness in the attacking half, which gave the opposition defenders time to recover.
India next face Chinese Taipei, who lost 0-4 to China in their first game, on Saturday and have very little time to regroup after their frustrating draw. Ahead of the game, Thomas Dennerby said:
“We need to convert our chances. We were a little slow in the last match and that gave the rival defenders time to recover, and come at us. These are the little things we need to be better at.”
Despite having over 60% possession, India were unable to find the net against a tenacious Iran team. But the Swedish gaffer said in the pre-match press conference that the sharpness in the final third is only imbibed by training regularly.
"These things come from everyday training, and we are working on it. If you have a chance, you need to take it quickly, maybe in the first touch itself, if possible,” Dennerby said.
"The focus is solely on the game against Chinese Taipei" - India head coach Thomas Dennerby reiterates
Meanwhile, Chinese Taipei were hammered by China in their last game. However, a loss against the Asian giants is no reason to write them off against India. Thomas Dennerby too reiterated the same and avered that the Blue Tigresses have completely shifted their focus to the next game.
“For us, the focus is solely on the game against Chinese Taipei. Even if they lost to China, they’re still a good team. We need to have a good performance to take points from that game,” said the 62-year-old.
A win against Iran would've eased India's path into the knockout stages. However, Thomas Dennerby maintains that it's too early to throw in the towel.
“When you get decent points in the group stage you always have a chance to qualify. We need to have a good game against Chinese Taipei and get points,” Dennerby stressed.
He further added:
“We are not at all concerned about the table at the moment. We need to get our job done in the next 90 minutes.”
Group A of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup is currently led by China PR, who have three points after defeating Chinese Taipei, while India share second spot with Iran as both sides have a point apiece.
