Shourjyani Chatterjee
The Indian football team took on Iran in the opening match of Tri-Nation Women’s International Friendlies at Shillong’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Tuesday. Iran won 2-0 after a barren first half. The event also featuring Nepal serves as preparation for the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Australia. India and Iran have qualified for it.
This match marked India’s return to Shillong after nine years. Head coach Crispin Chettri viewed this as a chance to test new combinations and expose youngsters. India are ranked 63rd in the world and Iran 70th.
India tried to begin on a dominating note. Pyari Xaxa, Linda Kom, and Ratanbala Devi led the charge. Iran looked composed. Pyari, who scored five in a 13-0 rout of Mongolia in the Asian Cup qualifiers, looked in decent touch. Iran got the first chance. In the third minute, a cross cut open the Indian defence, and it almost found its way into the net before ricocheting off the post. Lack of coordination between goalkeeper Panthoi Chanu and the defenders caused initial worry. Gradually, defenders Nirmala Devi and Shilky Devi gained rhythm.
Iran dominated possession and attacked down the wings. Poor first touch kept the Blue Tigresses from creating chances. The duel between Ratanbala and Zehra Koohkan was a highlight of the first half. Sangeeta Basfore’s long-range effort shortly before half-time narrowly missed the mark. Atifeh Amiri received a yellow card for a foul on Pyari, as the first half ended 0-0.
The second half saw both teams press for goal. In the 64th minute, Iran’s Sara Didar opened the scoring with an elegant finish past Chanu. Didar struck again in the 74th minute. Despite late attacks from Pyari and Ratanbala, Iran’s defence remained solid. Raha Yazdani and Fatemeh Shabani formed a strong base. Fatemeh Maktooni replaced Shabani in added-on time of five minutes as Iran held firm for a 2-0 win.
The two sides have now met five times, with each winning twice and one draw. After the final whistle, Iran’s players hugged and cheered. Coach Maryam Azmoon looked delighted. On the other hand, Chettri gathered his players in a huddle, encouraging them to take the positives from this one and focus on the clash against Nepal on October 27.
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