Shillong, Oct 11: India defeated hosts Malaysia 4-0 in their last Group E match of the AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers today in Selayang, Malaysia to secure a place in the main round of the competition.
The U-17 women’s team thus became the first Indian national side to reach back-to-back Women’s Asian Cups.
Redima Devi broke through in the 30th minute with a dipping shot from the edge of the box. Pritika Barman the doubled the advantage in the 51st minute from close range before Anushka Kumari landed another blow six minutes later from outside the area.
The game was put to rest in the 87th minute when Nidhi Pawan Kumar skipped past the Malaysia goalkeeper to fire the ball into an empty net.
India had defeated Iraq in their opening fixture, then Syria in their second and today’s win puts them at the top of the group – only one team from each group will progress to the main competition.
Like she did in the last game, Meghalaya’s Bonifilia Shullai supported her teammates from the bench for this match. She did feature as a substitute against Iraq, however.
The Young Tigresses reached the quarterfinals in the 2026 U-17 Women’s Asian Cup. The 2027 edition will be held in China from 31st March to 17th April.
(All India Football Association photo)
