Three areas India U-17 Women must improve after loss against Russia U-17

India U-17 lost 4-0 against Russia in first friendly in Sochi.

The India U-17 Women’s football team led by head coach Pamela Conti lost the first friendly match against Russia U-17 with a scoreline of 4-0 in Sochi.

Valeria Menyailova put the hosts ahead in the 44th minute. Dana Dobrovitskaya and Alisa Klimova converted penalties in the 57th and 72nd minutes, respectively, before Angelina Gulyayeva rounded off the scoring in the 88th.

The game despite the scoreline had some positives in terms of the performance that the young tigresses put on, hitting the woodwork and getting very close to scoring in the second half. The team however has a lot of places where they can improve.

Let us take a look at three areas which Pamela Conti’s girls can improve ahead of the next friendlies against Russia.

Improve finishing and be more clinical

The Indian team showed some encouraging intent against a tough Russian side with six shots but only managed to keep three shots on target. While creating chances is a positive sign, the team will need to be much more clinical in front of the goal heading into the upcoming friendlies.

Improvising their finishing will be key. Converting promising opportunities into goals can make a huge difference, especially against strong opposition like Russia.

The team will be hoping the players sharpen their decision-making in the final third, stay composed inside the box, and make better use of the chances they create in the next matches.

Keep the ball possession

India will need to do a better job of keeping the ball in the next friendly against Russia after managing only 37% possession in the previous game. A stat like that often means the team spent long spells defending and struggled to build sustained attacks.

Going into the next match, improving ball possession should be a key focus. The players need to stay calmer in possession, make quicker passing decisions, and avoid giving the ball away cheaply in midfield. Better support around the ball and sharper movement off it can also help India play out of pressure more effectively.

If they can string together longer phases of possession, it will not only reduce Russia’s control of the game but also allow India to create more meaningful chances going forward.

The next friendly presents a good opportunity for the team to show improvement in this area.

Defend as a unit

While India showed good discipline when defending as a unit at times, the overall defensive shape looked a little bit scattered against Russia.

There were moments when the team held its lines well and worked together to close spaces, but too often the defensive structure seemed scattered, allowing Russia to find gaps and move the ball into dangerous areas.

Going into the next friendly, maintaining compactness will be crucial. The backline and midfield need to stay connected, communicate better, and move as one unit, especially when tracking runners and dealing with transitions.

If India can stay more organised and avoid getting pulled out of shape, the team will look much stronger defensively in the next game.

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