On Saturday, Manisha Kalyan of Punjab scored a rocket to assist the Indian women’s football team beat Jordan 1-0 at the Prince Mohammad Stadium in Amman, Jordan.
India completed a great trip by winning both of their friendlies after defeating Egypt 1-0 on Wednesday. This was India‘s first set of international games since the AFC Asian Cup 2022 when the team was forced to withdraw due to a large number of Covid-19 cases in the squad.
From their first game against Egypt, Thomas Dennerby made three changes to the starting lineup. Aditi Chauhan was back in goal, alongside Dalima Chhibber, Sweety Devi, Ashalata Devi, and Sanju Yadav in defense. Ratanbala Devi, Martina Thokchom, and Anju Tamang made up the midfield, while Dangmei Grance, Manisha, and Sandhiya Ranganathan made up the front three.
First Half of the Match
Jordan had better control over the game in the first half, while India was unable to keep hold of the ball, even when intercepting and winning the ball from Jordan.
Jordanian players were stringing passes together and attacking the goal from India’s left wing, which featured Sanju, similarly to Egypt. Under Dennerby, Sanju, who began her career as a winger, has been playing as a left-back.
India received the game’s first corner, which was delivered by Ratanbala Devi and headed goalwards by Manisha. However, the opportunity was squandered, and Jordan went on the offensive at the opposite end.
Aditi Chauhan, the India goalkeeper, was up to the task, making the save to maintain the score tied. A few minutes later, Chauhan was called again into action as she calmly collected a strike from a Jordan free-kick.
About the Second Half
In the opening 45 minutes, India appeared out of depth, and aside from a goal-bound shot by Manisha, there was little to cheer about. They couldn’t keep their cool and couldn’t read the game.
India was unable to create chances due to a lack of possession, but Manisha’s shot demonstrates that a long-range shot, with its element of surprise, may aid the squad. That’s exactly what happened early in the second half when Manisha took a long-range shot and smashed it into the top corner.
Pyari Xaxa, a striker, came on as a half-time substitute for Sandhiya. In the 48th minute, Thokchom attempted to move from the right and play a ball towards Pyari in the middle of the field during a midfield fight.
Pyari dropped the ball while being pursued by two defenders, but it fell back to Thokchom, who played across to Manisha on the left. Manisha took on her defender and ran into the area, where she fired a strike from just inside the 18-yard box, giving India the lead.
India Defeating Jordan
Jordan began to put pressure on the visitors after conceding a goal. When Leen Yasin Mohammad was played behind the Indian defense, she had a wonderful opportunity to tie the game when she tried to chip Chauhan, but the ball sailed well over.
Center-backs from India Sweety and Ashalata make some critical last-ditch tackles to stop Jordanian attackers in their tracks. Shahanaz Jebreen was stopped in her tracks by Sweety’s interception, while Leen Yasin’s attempt was stopped shortly after the hour mark by Ashalata’s tackle.
When Anju swung in a corner that was flicked on at the near post by Manisha in the 72nd minute, India had an excellent opportunity to double their lead, but the ball flew just wide of the post.
Dennerby made his second substitution of the game with less than 10 minutes remaining in regular time, replacing Ratanbala in midfield with Karthika Angamuthu.
Anju took advantage of a few opportunities as the clock ticked down. She attempted to thread a through ball to Pyari behind the Jordanian defense, but the latter collided with a few Jordanian bodies, including goalie Anfal Nayeef Hammad, and all three collided. Jordan was handed a free kick in another try.
Anju broke on the break again with approximately a minute of injury time left on the clock, soaring up the pitch and crossing to Pyari inside the box, but she was ruled offside.
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