India’s Senior Women’s Football Team Loses 2-3 to Uzbekistan in Thrilling Encounter
In a thrilling international friendly at Pakhtakor Stadium on Tuesday, Senior Women’s Football Team was defeated 2-3 by Uzbekistan. Dangmei Grace and Indumathi Kathiresan scored equalizers for India, while Diyorakhon Habibullayeva and Lyudmila Karachik netted for Uzbekistan. Despite fighting hard and having several chances to draw level, Kamila Zaripova’s last-minute goal secured a victory for the hosts.
The Blue Tigresses showed great promise early on, with Anju Tamang coming close to scoring in the sixth minute. However, Uzbekistan quickly regained control, with Karachik leading many of their attacks. Despite India’s best efforts, the hosts took the lead in the seventh minute with a tap-in from Khabibullaeva.
India fought back with a scorching shot from Grace in the 22nd minute, only for Karachik to restore Uzbekistan’s lead with a penalty a minute later. India continued to battle, with Sandhiya Ranganathan coming close to equalizing in the 39th minute.
In the second half, Kathiresan scored a stunning goal to level the score at 2-2, and Sandhiya nearly sealed the victory for India with a brilliant run on a counter-attack in the 68th minute. However, Uzbekistan’s defense held strong, and Zaripova’s late strike secured the win.
Staff Reporter
