The Young Tigresses produced a ruthless display in Yangon on Friday, dismantling Turkmenistan 7-0 to surge to the top of Group D in the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup Thailand 2026 Qualifiers, on Friday.
Braces from captain Shubhangi Singh and forward Sulanjana Raul, along with goals from Sibani Devi, Thoibisana Chanu, and Pooja, ensured India now leads the group on goal difference ahead of hosts Myanmar.
It took just seven minutes for India to assert their dominance. Sulanjana Raul swung in a perfectly measured corner from the left, met powerfully by Shubhangi Singh’s towering header to make it 1-0. The Young Tigresses doubled their lead in the 14th minute when Neha burst down the left flank and drilled a low cross that Sibani Devi calmly swept home.
India’s set-piece superiority was on full display in the 35th minute, when another Raul corner picked out Thoibisana Chanu, who made no mistake with a firm header for 3-0. Two minutes later, Raul turned scorer, smashing the ball into the net from just inside the box after a loose ball fell kindly to her.
The onslaught continued. In 40 minutes, a free-kick from Neha was only half-cleared by the Turkmenistan goalkeeper, allowing Shubhangi to pounce and fire in her second of the night. By half-time, India led 5-0 and looked untouchable.
Knowing they needed six goals to go top of the group, India kept pushing after the break. The vital sixth came in the 64th minute, substitute Kiran’s driving run forced a corner, Neha delivered, and Pooja smashed the loose ball into the net.
The icing on the cake arrived in stoppage time. Another substitute threaded a pass to Raul, who slotted home her second and India’s seventh to complete the rout.
It was a performance that head coach Joakim Alexandersson will be proud of, not just for the scoreline, but for the sharpness, intensity, and set-piece execution that had been missing in the opening draw against Indonesia.
With one match to play, against Myanmar on August 10, the Young Tigresses have their fate firmly in their own hands.
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