India eves face Jordan test in AFC Under-16 qualifiers

India U16 Women’s team to face Jordan on Thursday

Dhaka, Oct 22 (IANS) Indian Under-16 women's team will aim to win against Jordan here Thursday and also hope hosts Bangladesh beat Iran to help India secure qualification to the main draw of the 2015 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Championships.

India are currently second in Group B with six points from three matches, behind Iran by three points. Hosts Bangladesh are level on points with India but are placed third with an inferior head-to-head record.

Jordan (three points) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) (0 points) are the other two teams of the qualifying group.

A Bangladesh win against Iran will bring all three teams level on nine points from three matches. According to tournament rules, the team with maximum points obtained in group matches between the teams concerned (here Iran, India and Bangladesh) will qualify.

For India to qualify, a Bangladesh victory is essential but Iran, with 17 goals in three matches, are an imposing side for the home team.

India had lost their first group match against Iran 1-2 Oct 17 despite taking a first-half lead.

India then beat Bangladesh 2-1 and drubbed the UAE 12-0.

Indian coach Maymol Rocky said that against Jordan, they will be on the offensive from the very beginning and look to increase their goals tally.

"We need to think about our win and how many goals we can score. I believe we have the ammunition to beat Jordan, but for that we have to put out best foot forward. The good thing is that the girls are on a high after a big win," Rocky said.