India Women defeat Indonesia in Olympic Qualifiers round two opener

Mandalay [Myanmar]: Indian Women’s team moved a step forward in reaching the 2020 Olympics as they registered a 2-0 win over Indonesia on Wednesday in their first match of the Olympic qualifiers round two at the Mandalarthiri Stadium in Mandalay.

Dangmei Grace was the star for India as she scored two goals for the team. Her goals proved to be the difference between the two teams. She scored in the 27th and 67th minute of the match respectively.

“We wanted to start our qualifying campaign on a winning note and we have done so. Indonesia proved to be tough opponents that committed bodies in defence but we found a way to gather three points, it is important to keep the winning momentum alive and we were able to do so. We are taking one match at a time and our focus shifts on our next opponents Nepal (on April 06)” All India Football Federation (AIFF) quoted Maymol Rocky, the coach of the team as saying.

The Indian team have kept their winning momentum alive after the success of their fifth consecutive SAFF title. The team kept on piling pressure on Indonesia with some crafty moves in on the ground.

Indian team’s Sanju and Ratanbala Devi wreaked havoc on the opposition’s defence as they were unable to judge the play of the Indian women. Sanju’s cross in the 24th minute almost proved fatal for Indonesian defence with one defender almost turning it into an own goal.

The Indian goalkeeper was not tested throughout the whole match as Indian defence made light work of Indonesian counterattacks.

With this win, India have taken the pole position in Group A of the Olympic Qualifiers Round 2.

[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]