New Delhi, July 15 (IANS) After holding Uzbekistan to a 1-1 draw in the first U20 women’s friendly match on Monday, India are gearing up to face the hosts again in the second and final game on Wednesday at the Do’stlik Stadium.

Like the first match, this one will also be played behind closed doors as per the mutual agreement between the teams, who are preparing for next month’s AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers.

Sulanjana Raul’s 79th-minute equaliser rescued a draw for the Young Tigresses after Uzbekistan took a 1-0 lead before the half-time whistle.

Reflecting on the result, India head coach Joakim Alexandersson said that his side deserved a victory, but a slow start hampered the chances.

“It was a good game for our side. We struggled with our high press in the first 15-20 minutes. We were not aggressive enough. But with time, we improved and also started to create chances after good build-ups and movements.

“We dominated them in the second half, even though we conceded a couple of chances because of individual mistakes. But we created many more chances than they did, and, for sure, deserved a win. But you have to score goals with these chances,” said the Swedish tactician.

The match was originally supposed to be played on Sunday but was postponed by over 24 hours due to operational challenges at the Do’stlik Stadium.

Despite the unusual last-minute change in schedule, the India women’s team remained mentally focused and didn’t let it affect their performance.

“The feeling was a bit negative for a short moment after we reached the venue on Sunday and learned that we wouldn’t be able to play. But we are a tight group who have been together for a few months, so the girls handled it very well. We are staying at a very good hotel with good food and facilities. I must commend the attitude of the girls,” said Alexandersson.

The rescheduling meant that the teams will have a day less for rest and recovery before the second game, but that’s not much of a bother for Alexandersson. He now hopes to see better fluidity in attack, better duels and overall, a consistent performance from the beginning until the end to wrap up the tour with a win.

“We have to be more ready from the start. I want our back four to be more aggressive. I want all players to be even more involved in attacking actions. We need to be tougher in duels, both offensive and defensive ones. Finally, we need to finish our chances better,’ Alexandersson said.

Judging the competitiveness after the first game, Alexandersson felt that the two friendlies form good preparation for the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers, where India will take on the likes of Myanmar, Indonesia and Turkmenistan in Yangon.

“I think Uzbekistan look a bit stronger than their previous games that I had watched. They are a good, organised and a physically strong team with a few individually skilled players. It is a good test,” said the Swede.

–IANS

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