Highlights India 0-8 USA, FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup: USA starts campaign with dominating win

USA starts its FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup campaign with a thumping 8-0 win against host country India.

Rebimbas limps off the pitch and that is not a good sign for the USA team. She has been one of USA’s best players.

The referee finally calls the medical staff after some coaxing from the USA player.

Rebimbas is down injured. She is asking for treatment but the referee thinks the player is just wasting time. It is not quite sure what the problem is.

Two added minutes at the end of the second-half!!

Shubhangi is okay after a bit of treatment and is ready to come back on the pitch.

Shubhangi has gone down unchallenged- it seems an issue with the leg but the exact problem is yet to be known.

India’s fatigue visibly showing at the closing stages of the match. They have chased shadows throughout the match.

Adames’ attempted from the left hits Shubhangi straight in the face and the player is down. Those always hurt but Shubhangi sits up and says she will be okay.

Suarez’s cross from the left takes a deflection and goes straight to Anjali. The Indian keeper does well to prevent the corner.

Sanchez comes on for Kohler. She goes off the pitch with one goal which came in the first-half.

Good build-up play by the USA again- Rebimbas gets the ball from a cut-back and shoots at goal. But Anjali makes the save as the ball is cleared from danger. Rebimbas has to wait for her hat-trick.

Adames comes on for Emri

Gamero goes for a chip from the right side of the Indian box. The ball misses the target by inches and rattles the top of the net. Lovely effort by Gamero there.

A mixup in the Indian defence again- Anjali could not hold on to the ball and Rebimbas had a chance to tap in the rebound. But the Indian defence recovers well and clears the ball to safety.

Varshika replaces Anita

Rebimbas is played a good through ball inside the Indian box but Anjali comes out in time to gather the ball.

With eight goals, USA has broken the record of highest number of goals scored against India in an U-17 match. It breaks Korea’s record which had scored seven past India.

Shailja replaces Lynda

BUTA SCORES!! USA SCORES ITS EIGHTH!! Arguably the best goal of the match. Buta with time and space outside the box. She curls a shot from a long way out and the ball goes above Anjali and rattles the net.

SUAREZ CONVERTS!! Calm as ever, she places the ball in the bottom-right corner, well out of Anjali’s reach.

Kajal takes out Kohler inside the box and it is a clear penalty. No doubts about that.

Lovely buildup by USA as Gamero and Kohler played a wonderful one-two. Kohler backheeled the ball to Gamero who had a brilliant chance to score her second. But she cannot keep her shot down and the ball goes out of play.

Fraser with a wonderful low cross from the left and Suarez is there at the end of it. She got a touch but it was not a clean one as the ball goes out of play.

India’s heaviest defeat in an U-17 match was a 7-0 loss against the Republic of Korea.

SIX FOR USA!! ELLA EMRI SCORES HER FIRST OF THE MATCH!! India undone by another corner. Emri, who is one of the tallest players on the pitch, rose high to head the ball into the net. She was quite far from goal byut managed to find the net.

Not sure what Naketa wanted to do with the long freekick. She punts the ball forward and it goes out for a goalkick.

Rebimbas gets a shot at goal but there is no power in the shot. Anjali gathers the ball easily. USA starting the second half with the same intensity as the first.

India: Tirkey, Lisham and Naketa replace Lina, Hemam and Kumari.

USA: Fraser, Bugg and Buta replace Thompson, Roller and Jackson.

The United States of America starts the second half with a gargantuan 5-0 lead

No stoppage-time at the end of the first-half!! USA leading by a huge 5-0 lead at the break!!

Thompson tries to send a ball after making a good run on the right flank. But she cannot keep the ball in and it is a goalkick for India.

Emri tries a curler from the edge of the Indian box but the shot is straight at Anjali and it is an easy take for the Indian keeper.

IT IS FIVE FOR USA!! THOMPSON GETS INTO THE SCORESHEET!! Thompson had ventured forward joining into the attack. She got the ball inside the Indian box, had a look up and lashed a shot at Anjali’s near-post. The Indian keeper dived but could not get to the ball as it rippled the net.

Gamero escapes her marker and tries to set up Rebimbas with a good cutback. Rebimbas cannot make a good contact with the ball but flicks the ball to Kohler behind her. Kohler, with the whole goal in front of her, skies her effort.

Anjali almost drops the ball in front of Rebimbas but a quick recovery allows the Indian keeper to hold on to the ball.

REBIMBAS SCORES HER SECOND!! USA SCORES ITS FOURTH!! The Indian defence caught napping yet again. The Indian defence could not clear the ball properly and Rebimbas gets the ball inside the Indian box. She finds the net with a wonderful volley.

Almost another goal for USA. Jackson’s corner was not dealt with by the Indian defence. Some pinball football in the crowded India box but Anjali finally being able to gather the ball.

India cannot keep the ball at the moment. The home team finding it difficult to even string a couple of passes together.

First quarter of the match over and USA has almost killed the game. Defensively, India has been all over the place. Lots to work on.

THREE FOR USA!! ONYEKA GAMERO SCORES!! A mistake by Purnima allowed Gamero to pounce on the ball. One-on-one with Munda, Gamero makes no mistake in slotting the ball inside the net.

Emri gets a free header but cannot keep her effort on target.

USA enjoying almost 80% of the ball in the early stages of the first half

Suarez’s cross hits Shubhangi and goes out for another USA corner.

The corner is delivered to the near-post but USA clears the ball fairly easily. Not a lot of height in this Indian team.

Neha tries a shot from miles out. The shot takes a deflection and the ball goes out for an Indian corner.

USA GETS ITS SECOND!! IT IS CHARLOTTE KOHLER!! India concedes from yet another set-piece as Kohler rose high above everyone to head the ball into the net from a USA corner.

Suarez thought she had kept the ball in as she sent a low cross from the left flank but the assistant referee raises her flag indicating that the ball had gone out. It is a goalkick for India.

USA with another cross into the box but Purnima is there to make a timely interception and clear the ball to safety.

USA SCORES!! IT IS MELINA REBIMBAS!! Jackson found Rebimbas with a good cross and Rebimbas guided the ball into the net with a well-taken volley.

USA gets their first corner as Gisele’s attempted cross is blocked on the right flank.

Good passing football by USA- Suarez tries a cutback from the left flank but it is straight at Munda. It is the first touch for the Indian goalkeeper.

Early chance for India- good forward ball by Nitu and a mixup in the USA defence almost allowed India to get a shot at goal. But the USA defence recovers well.

The FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup match between India and Bhubaneshwar has kicked-off at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar.

India XI: Anjali (GK), Purnima, Shilky Hemam, Astam(C), Neha, Kajol, Lynda, Anita, Shubhangi, Nitu, Kajal.

USA XI: Victoria(GK), Savannah, Cameron, Ella, Riley(C), Charlotte, Taylor, Melina, Onyeka, Lauren, Gisele.

The Indian women’s U-17 team will look to start the World Cup with an upset as it takes on the United States of America in its opening fixture.

Despite qualifying as the host, India has been in preparation for the World Cup throughout the year, travelling to Italy (6th Female Torneo) in June, to Norway (Open Nordic Tournament) in July and to Spain most recently last month.

Thomas Dennerby – its head coach – has been a prominent name in women’s football after he guided Sweden to third place in the Women’s World Cup in 2011 and Nigeria to the Round of 16 in 2019.

“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,” he said before the match.

“One thing that everybody will see tomorrow is that it will be hard to score against us and if we can utilise our own chances, there’s a good chance to come out with points from the USA.

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Definitely, the USA will come into the game as favourites, but the game starts tomorrow nil-nil. If we only focus on our performance, we have a chance and if we get a chance we will take it,” he added.

India is grouped alongside the USA, Brazil and Morocco and will play all of its group-stage matches at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.

“If India can have a successful tournament if we can take this team to the quarterfinals… for me personally, it will be as big as taking Sweden to the World Cup bronze medal 2011,” Dennerby said.

Before the match, he also said that if his team can make it to the quarterfinals, it will be – for him personally – a success equivalent to the World Cup bronze medal with Sweden in 2011.

Choosing attacking options for the young Tigresses will be a cakewalk, as Lynda Kom Serto – the standout performer of the team at the age-group tournaments and most recently at the U18 SAFF Championship – will be the head of the attack.

However, the team will rue the absence of midfielder Martina Thokchom – who crossed the age threshold by one year – and instead, is expected to start with a midfield double pivot of Babina Devi and Shilky Devi Hemam.

The United States, on the other hand, will look to forget its nightmare in the tournament last time around, when it was knocked out of the World Cup after finishing at the bottom of its group.

The fresh batch of players, under former Barcelona head coach Natalia Astrain, has looked extremely aggressive up the pitch and clinical in set-pieces.

“We are here to change our history (in the World Cup),” she told the press. “Every team in the group poses different challenges. We respect them, but we will give our best here.”

At the U-17 CONCACAF Championship – which also served as the qualifying tournament for the World Cup – USA scored 58 goals in seven matches and the only goal it conceded, was in the final against Mexico.

When and where does the India vs USA match kick-off?

The India vs USA FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup match kicks-off at 8:00 PM IST, October 11 at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar.

Where can you watch the India vs USA match?

The India vs USA FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2022 match will be telecasted live on the Sports18 Network in India.

The match will also be streamed live on the Voot and JioTV app and website.

Full Squads

India: Monalisha Devi Moirangthem, Melody Chanu Keisham, Anjali Munda, Astam Oraon, Naketa, Purnima Kumari, Varshika, Shilky Devi Hemam, Babina Devi Lisham, Nitu Linda, Shailja, Shubhangi Singh, Anita Kumari, Lynda Kom Serto, Neha, Rejiya Devi Laishram, Shelia Devi Loktongbam, Kajol Hubert Dsouza, Lavanya Upadhyay, Sudha Ankita Tirkey.

USA: Abigail Gundry, Victoria Safradin, Valentina Amaral, Ella Emri, Nicola Fraser, Jorydn Bugg, Savannah King, Cameron Roller, Gisele Thompson, Mia Bhuta, Riley Jackson, Charlotte Kohler, Lauren Martinho, Ella Sanchez, Emeri Adames, Onyeka Gamero, Nicollette Kiorpes, Melina Rebimbas, Samantha Smith, Taylor Suarez, Amalia Villarreal.