Indian under-17 head coach Thomas Dennerby wants his side to play freely now that it has nothing to lose in FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup after their early group-stage exit from the tournament.
Indian U-17 will play Brazil in their concluding Group A match of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup at the Kalinga Stadium on Monday, October 17, 2022. The match will kick off at 8 pm IST. “When we have the ball, we need to feel relaxed and start playing. We need to be confident and play a little bit more. Now, we have nothing to lose. I hope the girls start playing freely,” a release from AIFF quoted Dennerby as saying.
Hosts India are already out of the World Cup having lost their first two group league encounters against the United States (0-8) and Morocco (0-3). On Monday, they are pitted against mighty Brazil, considered a force to reckon with in women’s football. In the latest FIFA rankings released early this week, Brazil’s senior girls are placed ninth.
Dennerby is very much aware of Brazil’s reputation, but at the same time, he thinks his wards are capable of proving themselves on the pitch. “We have to focus very hard on defending, but we also know football is not only about defending. It would be nice for us to score in the tournament,” he said.
“Hopefully we can have another good performance. Brazil are a good team. And we also know that Brazil are fighting to ensure their place in the knockout stage. So, I think they are going to come out with all guns blazing,” the coach added.
The Indian girls, Dennerby said, are ready to play for their honour against Brazil.
“We will fight and try to score a goal. It would be nice to come out of this tournament with a goal,” he said.