"This is the first time India will have a chance": Pamela Conti on FIFA U-17 WWC qualification

After a group stage loss against Bangladesh, India U17 seal SAFF U19 Championship

India now eyes a landmark moment in its women’s football journey, with the U-17 national team aiming to qualify for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup purely on merit. Head coach Pamela Conti believes the progress, structure, and growing confidence within the squad have put India in a position to compete with the best and earn qualification the right way.

Elizabed Lakra, who scored one of the four goals, screamed at the top of her lungs after the SAFF U19 Women’s Championship final at the Pokhara Rangasala Stadium on Saturday. Five days before that, the Indian girls were left dejected after a 0-2 loss to Bangladesh in the round-robin stage. But in the final battle, the one that mattered, what transpired was decimation.

Four-nil. It was by far the biggest margin of victory in the final of a SAFF women’s youth tournament. And India U17 doing it in an U19 tournament against their traditional rivals is what made it even more remarkable.

Setback to Statement: India U17 SAFF triumph

Captain Julan Nongmaithem, who scored the opening goal in the first half and was named the Player of the Match.

She said, “It feels amazing to win another SAFF title for our country. Even though we are an U17 squad, we still managed to not only win an U19 tournament but do so with a big margin.”

Italian coach Pamela Conti’s first assignment with the Indian U17 women’s team turned out to be a great success. “This is the beginning! Let’s keep working hard for the future,” she posted on social media after the win.

Conti told AIFF, “I’m happy because this was our first tournament, and we are leaving here with a trophy. But more important than that, we are leaving with a lot of lessons and learnings.”

The biggest takeaway from the tournament was the Young Tigresses managing to turn their fortunes around after last week’s defeat. More than the physical and technical aspect, the significance lied in the mental aspect, according to Conti. Deep down, she knew, her girls are a much better side than Bangladesh U19.

Pamela Conti: “This Is the First Time India Will Have a Chance to Qualify for the World Cup”

Despite the scoreline, the final was far from easy, she affirmed, highlighting the challenge her team faced throughout the contest.

“It’s normal that when you finish a game and win 4-0, you think it was easy. It looked easy, but it wasn’t. The team corrected the mistakes from the previous match. I was very calm because we had created many chances to score in that game. We knew we were the better team, and it was just a matter of scoring and winning.

“I always tell them in every meeting that they need to change their mentality. Winning is not easy. We have to work very hard. Always and every day. We have to grow mentally, because I believe mentality builds 80% of success, said Conti.

Since Conti joined last month, her primary focus has been, to ready the Young Tigresses for their first appearance at the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup in 21 years. Now, with her first silverware in the bag, it is a great morale boost for the entire team.

However, after celebrating, the girls must forget this win and shift their minds back to the training pitch, according to Conti.

“Now, we will work very hard back in India, so that we can arrive at the Asian Cup in the best possible shape. We know it is going to be very complicated because there are very strong teams. This is the first time India will have a chance to qualify for the World Cup on merit, and with great confidence, we will give everything on the pitch, right until the end.”

The Young Tigresses will know their opponents in the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup on February 12 when the group stage draw takes place in Malaysia.

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