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Amman: Late evening when you walk down the corridor of the Team Hotel you overhear the girls discussing from behind half-closed doors — the pain of missing out against Uzbekistan still very much evident.<\/p>\nAmman: Late evening when you walk down the corridor of the Team Hotel you overhear the girls discussing from behind half-closed doors — the pain of missing out against Uzbekistan still very much evident.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe took time to settle down,\u201d Head Coach Priya PV reflects. \u201cWe were much better in the second half and even had our chances. But it\u2019s over and we need to look ahead,\u201d she utters.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Girls are capable of playing much better brand of Football. They also stay aware of it. That\u2019s where it hurts,\u201d she quips.<\/p>\n
Jordan\u2019s Head Coach Khaled Eid sums it up perfectly. \u201cWith not much separating the Teams in the group, the Team which commits lesser mistakes and plays quality Football will qualify for the Final Phase.\u201d You can never doubt it.<\/p>\n
Sitting pretty with a 3-0 victory over Lebanon U-19 Women in their first match, Khaled further declares: \u201cOur aim is to top our Group and qualify for the final phase. I feel all the Teams are evenly balanced and you cannot pick-up one as a favourite.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever,\u201d he adds, \u201cthere\u2019s immense pressure on us. We are the hosts and are expected to go through to the Final phase. Our other age-group National Teams couldn\u2019t qualify for the Final Phases of their respective age-group AFC Tournaments. Hence, there are a lot of expectations on us and we need to shoulder it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Priya draws a clue. \u201cWe need to shoulder our hopes. We have to win against Jordan. It\u2019s a do or die match for us. And for that, we need to improve our finishing,\u201d she says in one breath.<\/p>\n
\u201cA defeat in the next match will ring exit bells for us. That\u2019s a motivation and pressure at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Post India\u2019s defeat against Uzbekistan, Priya who had stayed back at the Petra Stadium to watch Jordan take on Lebanon feels the crowd may play a factor. \u201cIt was a very noisy crowd. They came with drums and can be the X-factor for the hosts against us. We need to stay wary of them,\u201d she manages to smile at last.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a 4.30pm kick-off and it will be quite cold. Dusk falls early in Amman and the floodlights would be switched on prior to the kick-off itself,\u201d she becomes serious again.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey defend in a compact manner and the Goalkeeper complements them further,\u201d she refers to Jordan. \u201cThey have some skillful Players. We can\u2019t allow them to move freely,\u201d she states.<\/p>\n
In the morning, post Breakfast the Girls go out for a stroll. The Sky above just couldn\u2019t have been bluer ever; the wind couldn\u2019t have been more comfortable ever. It\u2019s the perfect early winter morning, so pleasant.<\/p>\n
\u201cFootball in Jordan is going through a developmental phase. We have strengthened our Grassroots and there\u2019s huge scope for the Sport in our Country. There\u2019s lot of potential in our squad. We need to make use of it,\u201d Khaled pronounces.<\/p>\n
You turn to Priya. \u201cThe potential in our Team is enormous. It\u2019s time to implement it,\u201d she maintains.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s now or never for India U-19 Girls.<\/p>\n
The kick-off at the Petra Stadium against Jordan on Friday is at IST 8pm.<\/p>\n
By Nilanjan Datta,
AIFF Media Team<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Amman: Late evening when you walk down the corridor of the Team Hotel you overhear the girls discussing from behind half-closed doors — the pain of missing out against Uzbekistan still very much evident. \u201cWe took time to settle down,\u201d Head Coach Priya PV reflects. \u201cWe were much better in the second half and even […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20521,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[82],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20522","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-football-football"],"yoast_head":"\n