Joakim Alexandersson made a thumping start to his coaching career in India as the senior national women's team mauled Maldives 14-0 in the first of two FIFA women's friendlies in Bengaluru. (More Football News)
What made it special was that as many as eight players made their senior In🌼dia debut, and the Swede has assured that there will be more in the second game on Thursday.
The gulf in quality was obvious from the first whistle. While Alexandersson was happy tha▨t most of the things worked according to plan, he is now keen to see what his bench has to offer in the next 𒁃game.
"I think we used the game well. We were too big for them. We used the advantage we had and made improvements with regards to movi꧒ng the ball, using the space in behind, going wide, and using the central lin🧸e. So yeah, I think overall it was a good performance from us," he said.
"We're going to use the opportunity to have more inexperienced girls in the next game from the start. We're going to make some rotations. Let's see what they can offer in the ne𝔍xt game."
Among the debutants, Lynda Kom Serto proved to be the most i𝔍mpactful, scoring four goals. Those who have followed the striker from her younger years would label it as a routine performance despite it being her senior debut.
Lynda first made headlines when she scor꧋ed two goals in the SAFF U15 Championship as a 12-year-old in 2017. She was the MVP 𒊎and top-scorer in the SAFF U18 Championship in 2022, and was India's number nine at the FIFA U17 Women's World Cup later that year.
Lynda formed a good partners♑hip with fellow senior striker and Odisha FC teammate Pyari Xaxa, with the duo sc꧟oring half of the team's goals.
"Lynda performed very well, I think. She was good tactically also, we 🔜talked about her before the game," said Alexan🐠dersson.
The 19-year-old said, "I'm very happy to score four goals. This was my first match in the senior team. I want to dedicate these goals to my family, coaches and teammates.ꩵ I want to score 🎉more in the coming matches. These friendly games are useful for us as they help us get better as a team."
Neha, who was named the AIFF Promising Women's Player of the Year in July, also netted a brace on her India debut. So did substitute Kajol Dsouza. Rimpa Haldar, who set the attacking thir🎃d on fire with her dribbling skills, scored h🌜er first goal for the country after some brilliant build-up play.
Anticipating that Maldives will learn from their faults and try to be more compact in the second friendly, Alexandersson wants to see quicker and slicker play with the ball. The fact that they didn't concede any goals after the 66th minute is evidence that they can be a decent defensive﷽ unit.
"I want us to speed things up even more. I think o🔯ur opponents are going to be better in the next game, so we have to be even๊ quicker when it comes to the decisions with the ball," said Alexandersson.
