FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup: Tough task ahead for India's history-makers and an opportunity for glory

Jeakson Singh Thounaojam, now 21, is a talented midfielder but still not the greatest Indian footballer going around. Yet there’s a special place reserved for him in Indian football history. For he is the first Indian ever to score in a FIFA World Cup. Jeakson scored India’s only goal in the 2017 FIFA U-17 Men’s World Cup which was hosted at home.

India lost all three of their matches in that edition but Jeakson, and his goal, would be remembered for ages. It’s that goal, that moment of glory that should serve as the inspiration for the Indian U-17 women’s football team as they get ready to make history in the FIFA World Cup. For the first time, India are hosting the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. For the first time, India are going to play in the Women’s World Cup at any age level.

The 21 Indian players selected for the FIFA event will soon become the history-makers but if they want to be remembered long, not only as a group but by names and performance, they must go further in what is already going to be an unprecedented event.

World Cup: India squad, opponents, streaming — all you need to know

Team India profile

India’s lack of youth structure and national league means the team had to be scouted with the help of trials and the national championship. The World Cup was to take place in 2020 but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed its hosting and this forced the management to build the team twice.

The new team has since toured Italy, Norway and Spain for exposure trips where they played against Italy, Chile, Mexico, Netherlands, Sweden and Iceland. They gave a glimpse of their talent in the 2022 U-18 Women’s SAFF Championship with India winning it for the first time.

Left-back Astam Oraon of Jharkhand has been named the team’s captain. Having spent a lot of time with the U-17 setup and some with the senior national team, Astam brings maturity to the side. The goal-scoring duty however will fall on Lynda Kom Serto’s shoulders who scored five in the SAFF Championship. Nitu Linda and Anita Kumari are expected to give wings to the team from the flanks.

🗣️ Astam Oraon, Captain, India U-17 Women's National Team: "We all are mentally strong to fight against the USA 🇺🇸 tomorrow" 💪🏼#U17WWC 🏆 #BackTheBlue 💙 #ShePower 👧 #IndianFootball ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/oLPU8b3EMS

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) October 10, 2022

“Our preparations have been really good. We started in late February this year and up to now, we have almost 270 sessions, that include running, football, and technical meetings. Of course, the girls have developed a lot,” said India coach Thomas Dennerby, who also guided Sweden women to World Cup bronze in 2011, on the eve of the opener against the United States on 11 October.

“We have a team that we know can defend very well. One thing that everyone should be able to see is how hard it will be to score against us. If we utilise the chances we create, we can come out with points.”

Dennerby’s confidence in the defence should bode well for the team which conceded 24 goals in eight matches on the European exposure trips.

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How easy or tough will be the World Cup?

A herculean task lies ahead for India. The Dennerby-coached side will play against USA, Brazil and Morocco in their Group A matches. USA come first on 11 October.

The 2008 runners-up, USA, have failed to cross the group stage ever since reaching the final 14 years ago but they’re a country with the highest footballing standards in the women’s game. With four senior World Cup titles, USA have the infrastructure and player pool to keep churning out top-quality athletes.

They qualified for the FIFA World Cup by clinching the CONCACAF U-17 Championship for the fifth time. And in the process fired in 58 goals, conceding just one. They have been in marauding form no doubt.

“USA will come as the favourites but it’s all on paper. Our focus is on our game plan. If we have our best day and score an early goal, it will be good for us,” Dennerby said.

🗣️ Head Coach Thomas Dennerby and player Astam Oraon addressed the media 🎙️ ahead of #U17WWC 🏆 at Bhubaneswar today 🙌🏼

Watch the video here 📺#BackTheBlue 💙 #ShePower 👧 #IndianFootball⚽️ pic.twitter.com/zYUsBijVX2

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) October 10, 2022

Then there’s Brazil. Their best showing in the tournament are two quarter-final finishes. For a country which has football ingrained in their national consciousness, they can never be counted out. They are also a record four-time South American U-17 Women’s Championship winners. They scored 33 goals in the process to qualify for the World Cup.

On the other hand, Morocco are going to be playing their first women’s World Cup. They defeated mighty Ghana to qualify for the tournament.

World Cup:  All you need to know

It’s not going to be easy. It was never supposed to be easy. But football in the end is just a sport. Six of the 21 Indian players are from Jharkhand. Apart from the state, another commonality among them is how the sport is helping them escape the hardships of life. A life where there’s not even a guarantee of the next meal. It’s a story that is true for majority of the members of the Indian team. These girls have fought bigger battles and a World Cup is another gruelling exercise.

India may lack behind their counterparts in skills but they have a strong spirit. It is important they harness that, keep the belief and go for glory!

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