The India women’s football team will continue their quest to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics when they square off against Kyrgyzstan at the Spartak Stadium on Friday, April 7. The match will begin at 7:30 PM IST.
The upcoming contest between these sides will be the second meeting between these teams after India beat Kyrgyzstan 5-0 in the first Group G encounter featuring these sides in the Women’s Olympic Qualifying Asia first round.
The India women’s football team is currently ranked 61st in the FIFA rankings, while the Kyrgyz Republic is 62 spots below them at 123.
One of 20 teams competing in the first round of the 2024 AFC Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament, these matches are slated to take place from April 1-11.
The 20 teams from Asia are divided into seven groups. Two of these groups have four teams competing, while two groups have three sides in it and the other three groups are made up of just two countries.
Groups that have just two teams will square off against each other twice, while the rest of the groups will play the others in their group once in a single round-robin format.
However, it’s worth noting that India faces the Kyrgyz Republic twice in their group despite having three teams in it. This is because of Turkmenistan’s withdrawal from Group G, meaning India and Kyrgyzstan will lock horns twice to top their group and qualify for the next round.
India already has one foot in the next round after a convincing 5-0 win over the Kyrgyz Republic on Tuesday. A brace by Anju Tamang as well as goals from Soumya Guguloth, Shikly Devi, and Renu helped India register a convincing win. They will be expecting a similar performance against Kyrgyzstan on Friday.
Where to watch India vs Kyrgyzstan AFC Women’s Olympic Qualifiers 2024 live in India?
Live streaming of India vs Kyrgyzstan AFC Women’s Olympic Qualifiers 2024 in India will be available on the YouTube channel of Kyrgyz Football Union.
There will be no live telecast of India vs Kyrgyzstan AFC Women’s Olympic Qualifiers 2024 in India.
India squad for the first round of AFC Women’s Olympic Qualifiers 2024
Goalkeepers: Sowmiya Narayansamy, Shreya Hooda, Elangbam Panthoi
Defenders: Ashalata Devi, Sweety Devi, Ritu Rani, Ranjana Chanu, Michel Castanha, Dalima Chhibber, Manisa Panna, Juli Kishan
Midfielders: Shilky Devi Hemam, Anju Tamang, Indumathi Kathiresan, Sangita Basfore, Karthika Angamuthu
Forwards: Grace Dangmei, Soumya Guguloth, Renu, Karishma Shirvoikar, Sandhiya Ranganathan, Apurna Narzary
Photo Credit: Unsplash