Here's why India lost 8-0 to USA in the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup

The Indian U-17 women's team suffered their greatest loss till date after they lost 8-0 to the United States of America in a Group A fixture of the ongoing FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup 2022. In the past, the young tigresses had lost 7-0 to South Korea twice.

Going into the game, Thomas Dennerby's girls were perhaps the underdogs and surely the weakest team in the group. However, a supporter who went to cheer on the team at the Kalinga stadium in Bhubaneshwar might have not expected such a drubbing.

Here's why we think that India lost 0-8 to USA in the World Cup:

Poor defending inside the box

In the early few minutes of the game, India showed a decent solidity at the back, tackling USA wingers and making commendable interceptions. However, Dennerby's team's defensive issues came to light with the opposition's first goal.

Moreover, the apparent zonal marking during corners did not pay any dividend as two goals out of the eight were conceded via corner kicks. Additionally, seven goals have come in from inside or the edge of India's box, which includes a penalty.

Here's a brief description of each goal scored by USA and how the Indian defense is culpable for the lack of any defending inside the box:

1st goal (Rebimbas 9')- In the first 10 minutes, the girls clad in white took the lead through a Melina Rebimbas volley. A cross floated in from the right flank which the forward side footed in the goal without an Indian body trying to block her.

2nd goal (Kohler 15')- This was the first time when the Indian players were seen standing in rows of threes and fours instead of man-marking the opponents. A pin-point cross from the corner found Charlotte Kohler who scored with a thumping header.

3rd goal (Gamero 23')- Goalie Anjali Munda passed it to defender Purnima Kumari who stumbles under pressure, which meant that a lurking Onyeka Gamero picked up the ball and passed it past the goalkeeper to score.

4th goal (Rebimbas 31')- A poor clearance from inside the box gave the ball to a poised Rebimbas at the edge of the box who controlled it and let one fly, thereby rustling the net for her second.

5th goal (Thompson 39')- Full back Gisele Thompson dribbled past Purnima inside the box and angled the shot for a goal.

6th goal (Emri 51')- Defender Ella Emri, quite possibly the tallest player on the pitch, scored with a header from a corner.

7th goal (Suarez 59')- Poor tackle by Kajal on Kohler conceded a penalty to USA, which saw Taylor Suarez calmly convert past Munda.

8th goal (Bhuta 62')- Perhaps the only goal from outside the box, skipper Mia Bhuta curled one in the top left corner beyond Anjali's reach.

Lack of composure on the ball

Understandable that the stage could have been a tad bit intimidating for the young girls, but the Indian side was aimlessly lobbing balls over the top without a blue shirt waiting to receive at the end of it.

For instance, India's presence in the final third was almost non-existent. In the first half, USA had 13 attempts out of which seven were on target. India had a single shot which wasn't goal-bound.

There were a few good openings which could have been exploited but the resulting passes showed the lack of composure and the nervousness against much superior opponents.

Technically & physically superior USA

Natalia Astrain's USA team showed that they are a force to reckon with in the tournament with tonight's dominating performance. Not only were they technically much-more precise in their passing, but also were eager to go for the physically-demanding challenges and one-on-ones.

One example can be when at the 60th minute, Neha was putting all the steam she had left in her sprint down the left flank, it was Savannah King who caught up with her and made a clean tackle. There were many more such instances where the USA defenders might have been in a spot of trouble, but were good enough to retrieve the ball and go again.