football

Updated: Jan 20, 2019 23:54 IST

Indian women’s football team coach Maymol Rockey is confident of the squad’s success ahead of their first friendly match against Hong Kong. Rockey said that the match is a “space to test permutations and combinations in the team”.

“Every team presents its own challenges. Hong Kong is no different. In fact, they have some players who could hurt us if we are not on the top of our game. However, it does not matter to us if it is a friendly match or not, we will be going all out for a win,” AIFF quoted Maymol, as saying.

“We are looking to test our permutations and combinations in these matches. We will also experiment with our tactics,” she added.

Indian women’s team are playing four Friendlies - two against Hong Kong in Hong Kong, followed by two against Indonesia in Indonesia. The matches have been organised to help the team prepare in the best shape for the forthcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic Qualifiers Round 2.

Indian 🇮🇳 women aim for win ✅ in first friendly against Hong Kong 🇭🇰



Read the preview here: https://t.co/uzp1qT8zFU#BackTheBlue #IndianFootball #ShePower pic.twitter.com/xemLMj9Bjt — Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) January 20, 2019

The coach said that such matches help giving players the much-needed experience and help them evolve.

“The biggest advantage of playing friendly matches is that it gives the players the much need match experience. Against an opponent like Hong Kong, it will only help evolve the players better,” she maintained.

For the players, the match aids to prove themselves on the pitch against a “strong opponent.” Indian defender Jabamani Tudu said, “The opposition will also be looking for a win, so will we. There is no doubt it will be a tough clash. The Friendly does not mean that we will sit back and relax. We will be gunning for a win.”

Another Indian defender Dalima Chibber said that the clash is an opportunity for them to test their skills and prove themselves.

“It is also an opportunity for us to prove ourselves and test our skills. We have been preparing hard for the Olympic Qualifiers Round 2, and the road starts with these matches. We will look to build our pedigree here as we approach the main tournament,” Chibber said.

India are slated to play their first friendly match against Hong Kong on January 21.