AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup 2026: Updated points table, most goals after India vs Lebanon
India’s victory over Lebanon is the first victory at the U17 Asian Cup in 21 years
Indian Women’s National U17 football team secured a dominant 4–0 victory over Lebanon Women’s National U17 football team in the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup to finish third in the group and keep their qualification hopes alive
With both sides needing a win, Lebanon threatened early as Yara Geitani attempted to score but goalkeeper Munni Bhambhu reacted quickly to prevent the chance. The Young Tigresses responded almost immediately, taking the lead through Pritika Barman, who produced a perfect finish after an individual run into the box.
The Young Tigresses continued to dominate possession and attacking phases, creating multiple chances before doubling their advantage in the 36th minute. Alva Senjam used her pace effectively before calmly finishing past goalkeeper Marie Joe Chebly to hand India a comfortable lead going into halftime.
Lebanon showed greater urgency after the restart and nearly pulled a goal back in the 57th minute when Yasmin El Habbal broke free of her marker. However, goalkeeper Munni Bhambhu reacted quickly to deny the initial attempt before Divyani Linda cleared Sara Issa’s follow-up effort off the line to preserve India’s advantage.
India eventually found the back of the net again in the 72nd minute through Joya Joya, who quickly moved past two defenders before finishing confidently beyond Marie Joe Chebly.
Pritika Barman then completed her brace in the 85th minute with another impressive solo effort, sealing a dominant victory for India.
A Brief look at the points table
| Position | Country | Matches played | Wins | Draws | Loses | GD | Points |
| 1 | Japan | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 9 |
| 2 | Australia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -3 | 4 |
| 3 | India | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -1 | 3 |
| 4 | Lebanon | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -17 | 1 |
Japan won all three of their matches, scoring 21 goals including an emphatic 13–0 victory over Lebanon and a comfortable 5-0 victory over Australia in the final group fixtures.
Australia finished second with four points despite suffering a heavy defeat to Japan.
India ended third with three points after registering one win and two defeats. India’s campaign concluded on a positive note with a commanding 4–0 victory over Lebanon, helping them finish above Lebanon on goal difference.
Lebanon, meanwhile, finished bottom of the group with one point from their three matches.
The Young Tigresses must now wait for the outcome of the Group C fixtures to determine whether their performance will be enough to secure a place in the quarter-finals
Top goalscorers after India vs Lebanon
- Jong-Hyang Yu (DPR Korea) – 6 goals
- Seo-Yeong Baek (Korea Republic) – 4 goals
- Higuchi (Japan) – 3 goals
- Von-Sim Kim (DPR Korea) – 3 goals
- Ikeda (Japan) – 3 goals
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Balancing her medical studies with a strong passion for Indian football, Preethi has been a dedicated follower of the sport. Her speciality is covering and discovering stories, talking to players, conducting their interviews, and drafting articles. She particularly covers Hyderabad FC and other stories from the ISL and I-League.