India women’s national under-17 football team’s historic FIFA World Cup dream ended on Monday after a 0-3 defeat against hosts China women’s national under-17 football team in the quarter-finals of the AFC Under-17 Women’s Asian Cup. India fought hard for large parts of the contest, but China’s quality and relentless pressure ultimately proved too much in a game which the hosts dominated from start to finish.

The Young Tigresses entered the quarter-finals knowing that a win would secure India’s first FIFA World Cup qualification on qualification. Instead, the defeat brought an end to a memorable campaign that had already seen India reached the knockout stage of the tournament for the first time.

However, for 38 minutes India managed to frustrate one of the strongest young teams in Asia.

Goalkeeper Basnet and defender Munni stood out during a disciplined defensive effort as China dominated possession and repeatedly pushed India into their own half.

But the breakthrough finally came in the 38th minute.

A sharp passing move from the left left India’s defense wide open, before Huang Qianyi finished from close range to give China the lead.

Things got even tougher for India in the stoppage time of the first half when China won a penalty and Liu Yuxi calmly converted it before the break to make it 2-0.

How did China dominate India in the quarterfinals?

The match statistics reflected China’s dominance throughout the contest.

The hosts enjoyed nearly 75 percent possession and finished the game with 28 shots, compared to India’s single effort.

China barely gave India a chance to play the ball and forced the Young Tigresses to constantly defend in their own final third.

Even after taking the lead, China continued to attack with intensity and never allowed India to stay in the game.

Ultimately, Li Qixian scored the third goal in the 90th minute to secure China’s place in the semi-finals.

Meanwhile, India struggled to create attacking opportunities as the hosts’ physicality, movement and pace continued to stretch the defense throughout the match.

India’s World Cup dream is over, but not the promise

Although the defeat ended India’s hopes of reaching the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, the campaign still marked a major step forward for the team.

India had already created history in the tournament by reaching the knockout stage of the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup for the first time after an impressive 4-0 win over Lebanon.

This was the first time since 2004 that an Indian women’s team had reached the knockout stage of an AFC tournament.

Despite a tough quarterfinal against one of the strongest teams in Asia, players like Basnet and Munni showed a lot of potential during the tournament.

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