SAFF U-17 Women's Championship
India prepare to meet familiar foes Bangladesh in SAFF U17 Women's Championship
BS News Agency, Thimphu, Bhutan: The SAFF U17 Women's Championship 2025 is a marathon. After India made the perfect start with a 7-0 thumping of Nepal, there still remain five more games in this round-robin tournament, or in head coach Joakim Alexandersson's opinion, 'five perfect games'.
"It's basically a league. Consistency is key," said the Swede.
Next up is the big one. The Young Tigresses will face Bangladesh on Friday, August 22, 2025, at the Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu, Bhutan, at 14:30 IST. The match will be streamed live on the Sportzworkz YouTube Channel.
They have been the two most successful teams in this tournament's history, having contested four finals and won two each. Bangladesh nicked the SAFF U16 Women's Championship title from India on penalties last year. And with many players forming a part of the current U17 squad as well, this match could feel like an opportunity for the Young Tigresses to get back at their familiar foes.
Like India, Bangladesh also made a winning start, defeating hosts Bhutan 3-1 on Wednesday evening. While India's 7-0 win might sound comfortable, it wasn't the case in the first 15 minutes, at least, when there were some nervy moments and goalkeeper Munni was called into action a few times. But the 15-year-old from Rajasthan was confident and comfortable, and collected a deserved clean sheet.
"Winning 7-0 is, of course, a big result. But honestly, I wasn’t satisfied with how we started. We didn’t look comfortable on the ball, there were too many missed passes and turnovers. After 25-30 minutes, it was much better, and from then on we controlled the game. Still, the quality was not at the level I want to see, and it has to improve for the next match," said Alexandersson.