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The Indian senior women's national football team defeated Australian club side Perth Azzurri 7-2 in a closed-door friendly at Macedonia Park in Perth on Monday, February 23, according to the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
Australian club side Perth Azzurri took the lead early on through a penalty, but Dangmei Grace equalised soon after, as the two sides went into the break level at 1-1. The Blue Tigresses tore ahead of their opponents in the second half, as Grace put them in the lead minutes after the restart, before Rimpa Haldar and Babina Devi Lisham added two more goals, giving India a 4-1 advantage. While Perth Azzurri pulled one back, India added three more towards the end - Kaviya Pakkirisamy scoring once, while Sangita Basfore added two more. The Indian senior women's team's 26-member squad for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Asian Cup Australia 2026 was announced on February 20. The top two sides from each group, along with the two best third-placed teams, will progress to the quarter-finals. The four quarter-final winners will qualify for the FIFA Women's World Cup Brazil 2027. The losing quarter-finalists will contest the play-offs for the two remaining direct spots allocated to the AFC for the World Cup. The two play-off losers will have another chance of qualifying for Brazil via the Play-off Tournament. -India's squad for the AFC Women's Asian Cup Australia 2026: Goalkeepers: Panthoi Chanu Elangbam, Shreya Hooda, Sowmiya Narayanasamy. Defenders: Astam Oraon, Juli Kishan, Martina Thokchom, Nirmala Devi Phanjoubam, Sanju, Sarita Yumnam, Shilky Devi Hemam, Sushmita Lepcha, Sweety Devi Ngangbam. Midfielders: Anju Tamang, Aveka Singh, Babina Devi Lisham, Jasoda Munda, Sanfida Nongrum, Sangita Basfore. Forwards: Grace Dangmei, Kaviya Pakkirisamy, Lynda Kom Serto, Malavika P, Manisha Kalyan, Pyari Xaxa, Rimpa Haldar, Soumya Guguloth. Head coach: Amelia Valverde Assistant coach: Crispin ChettriAssistant coach: Priya PV Goalkeeping coach: Eli Avila Goalkeeping coach: Mario Aguiar Strength and conditioning coach: Jose Sanchez. (ANI)
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