AFC Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers: India U-20 women's team held to goalless draw by Indonesia
India gets a point for its effort, which keeps it in second place in Group D. The side will next take on Turkmenistan on Friday.
Neha's sixth-minute cross from the left wing deceived the Indonesian defence, leaving Pooja and Sulanjana Raul on the chase at the far post. A simple touch could have posed serious questions to Indonesian goalkeeper Alleana Ayu Arumy, but the ball eluded both.
As the clock ticked past the half-hour mark, Sulanjana and Pooja tried their luck from long range. While the former's effort missed the target by inches, the latter saw her shot fly straight into Alleana's hands.
Neha looked lively down the left flank after the change of ends, but the Indonesia defenders worked in unison to isolate her and gain possession of the
With a little over 20 minutes left, India began to press high. Sibani Devi Nongmeikapam intercepted a pass in the attacking third and cut it back for substitute Babita Kumari.. The latter, however, was unable to get a touch on the ball. Minutes later, Sibani looked to find Babita again with a cross from the left, but Alleana collected it calmly.
Indonesia's only notable chance of the match came in the 87th minute, when substitute Ajeng Sri Handayani bounded past the India defence and attempted to place the ball at the far post. India goalkeeper Monalisha Devi Moirangthem, however, got down low to make a save before Thoibisana Chanu Toijam cleared.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
13 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Virat Kohli resumes practice, shows first signs of returning to Indian cricket moments after white beard pic sparks fear
Virat Kohli is going nowhere. At least that's what it looks like. The Indian batting superstar, away from the limelight, just shared his first glimpse of returning to international cricket, sending a wave of happiness among his fans. Earlier in the day, a picture of him surfaced online, with plenty of grey hair, leaving fans worried. The Kohli faithful felt the end was near and feared the worst – a possible retirement from the ODIs, going by the amount of grey in his beard. However, Kohli, through a simple social media activity, confirmed that he is not done, and if anything, he is set for a return to Indian cricket sooner rather than later. Virat Kohli had his first hit in a while(Virat Kohli-Instagram) Kohli shared a picture with Gujarat Titans assistant coach Naeem Amin, in which both posed in what appeared to be an indoor cricket training facility. The backdrop suggests that Kohli, who hasn't played cricket since the conclusion of the IPL 2025, could have resumed practice ahead of his return, currently slated for October. "Thanks for helping out with the hit, brother. Always lovely to see you," Kohli captioned his Instagram story. What confirmed Kohli's training was that Amin was holding one of Kohli's classic MRF logoed bats in his hand. Kohli has flown under the radar and remained low-key since the IPL, making just two public appearances – going to attend Wimbledon and then gracing a 'YouWeCan' event hosted in London by Yuvraj Singh. He has, otherwise, been away from the public eye, and barring a couple of posts on X on the Indian team's performances in Birmingham and the Oval, Kohli has been, well, to put it simply, in hibernation. Who is Naeem Amin? Amin has been with the Titans since the franchise's beginning in 2022 and is the head of the Mighty Willow Academy. The academy is based in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, and London, and is open to cricketers of all ages and abilities. Besides, Amin also played for Surrey CCC (2008) & Buckinghamshire CCC (2007), before serving as the national coach of Norway in 2011. He also served as the head coach of the MCC Foundation from 2013-2017, and before coming aboard the GT setup, Amis was also a coaching Assistant for Sunrisers Hyderabad from early 2018.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
13 minutes ago
- First Post
Anand delivers verdict when asked to choose between Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa and Arjun: 'They are all very close'
Legendary Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand, who is widely seen as the guiding force behind the current generation of Indian chess stars, added that R Praggnanandhaa would be ahead of D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi currently. read more R Praggnanandhaa and D Gukesh were among the first batch of pupils at the Viswanathan Anand's Westbridge Anand Chess Academy in Bengaluru. Image: PTI/Grand Chess Tour The legendary Viswanathan Anand is responsible not just for putting India on the chess map, but for also nurturing an entire generation of stars - either through the Westbridge Anand Chess Academy, or by individually mentoring other players. It is that influence that has given Indian chess its golden generation with D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi at its heart. But what if 'Vishy', a five-time world champion who also happens to be the first chess Grandmaster from India, is asked to pick the best from the aforementioned trio? STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Gukesh, Pragg and Arjun fairly level on 'pure chess strength' Anand felt that while Praggnanandhaa has the most momentum of the three at the moment, they're all fairly close to each other and there's little that separates them as far as 'pure chess strength' is concerned. 'The thing is they are so close in strength that you have to see recent momentum. I think right now Pragg. But Arjun has his moments as well. He had a lot of them last year. Now, this year he has been slower,' Anand said on a show on YouTube. 'Gukesh, of course, he won the big thing, the World Championship. So that kind of keeps him there, but I think in pure chess strength, they are all very close to each other. It is not an accident that most games between them end in draws,' he continued. The trio were part of the Indian contingent that had completed a historic golden sweep at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest last year. Gukesh had also become the youngest champion in the history of the Candidates Tournament as well as the FIDE World Championship, becoming only the second Indian after Anand to be crowned world champion. A little over a month after his historic World Championship triumph, Praggnanandhaa would go on to defeat Gukesh to win the prestigious Tata Steel Chess in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands, and had also triumphed in Superbet Chess Classic Romania, which is part of the Grand Chess Tour. The 19-year-old is also the current Indian No 1 as well as world No 4 in live ratings, with Arjun and Gukesh occupying the fifth and sixth slots respectively. Arjun, who is currently participating in the third edition of the Chennai Grand Masters where he is a strong title favourite, had become only the second Indian after Anand to breach the 2800-rating barrier. He is also fairly stronger than 'Pragg' and Gukesh in the rapid and blitz, the faster chess formats, and has also the best-performing Indian in the inaugural Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Mint
13 minutes ago
- Mint
IPL buzz: Ashwin in talks with CSK about future amid speculation of possible move
Chennai, Aug 8 (PTI) Senior Indian off-spinner R Ashwin is in discussions with the Chennai Super Kings about his future in the IPL franchise amid speculation that he might seek his release from the team. With over two months still left before the deadline for retentions, Ashwin, it is reliably learnt, has had conversations with the CSK brass about his role going forward. "It is early stages to decide on any player's future. The cut off date for retention is yet to be announced. So we have time," an IPL source told PTI. "It's a pre-auction plan to hold discussions with players and Ashwin, being a senior, is part of it. It is a mutual discussion to understand his role in the team ahead of next IPL season," he added. The 38-year-old Ashwin, who retired from international cricket last year, was bought for ₹ 9.75 crore in the mega auction before the 2025 season. It was a homecoming of sorts for the Chennai-based player, who earlier turned up for CSK from 2009 to 2015. He later went on to play for the now-defunct Rising Pune Super Giant and the then Kings XI Punjab (currently Punjab Kings) in 2018. He played nine games in the season gone by, picking up just seven wickets in a largely disappointing season for the team as it finished fifth with seven wins and as many losses. There are speculations that CSK might rope in wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson, who wants to leave his current team -- Rajasthan Royals. "We have certain players in our mind to add to our line up next season. But so far, we have not had discussions with anyone, as I said there is a lot of time for player retention etc," the source said.
