Coach Ambrose confident of getting campaign back on track

Despite India facing a 2-0 loss at the hands of Nepal in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-19 Women's Championship Qualifiers on Friday, head coach Alex Ambrose is hopeful that the Indian eves can implement strategies and get the desired result against the hosts, Thailand in their next encounter on Sunday.

Ambrose said that girls learn a lot from such matches. "They are not happy about the result yesterday. But it's all about the exposure that they get. It was a tough game, but they will learn from mistakes like these," said Ambrose.

Currently, Thailand stand at the top of the group with six points from two games, followed by Nepal and India, who have three points each from two matches. However, Nepal are ahead by virtue of the head-to-head rule.

"They have to believe in themselves. Playing international teams is important for the players. That's where implementing the things on the pitch begins. Once they do that, the results will automatically come," an optimistic Ambrose stated.

There are several scenarios where India can make into the second round of the qualifiers. India need to win against Thailand and hope that Pakistan do not concede more than 17 goals against Nepal. In a second scenario, if Pakistan beat Nepal and India manage to get at least a point against Thailand, or if Pakistan-Nepal tie ends in a draw, India need to beat Thailand.

"We will try our best and fight against Thailand. I've seen Thailand play, they are a wonderful team. They have some really technical and strong individual players. We will take every opportunity that comes our way and try to win it," he opined.

"There's always a chance (to qualify). The girls need to understand that and go all out to take that chance. If we can perform tomorrow, I'm sure we can get the desired result," Ambrose concluded.