The Indian women’s football team went down 0-3 to Chile at Manaus in the second match of their Brazilian tour on Saturday.
Maria Urrutia (13’), Isidora Hernandez (83’), Karen Araya (84’) scored for the South Americans as Thomas Dennerby’s side gave a good account of themselves against a team ranked 20 places above them in the Fifa charts.
India, who had lost 6-1 to Brazil in their opening match, got off to a bright start in the match against Chile as Manisha Kalyan, who had scored the team’s solitary goal against Brazil, drove at the heart of the Chilean defence to play in Anju Tamang who then tried to find a teammate with a cross but her effort was dealt with by the opponents.
The duo combined again from a corner as Tamang’s kick found Kalyan who could only find the goalkeeper with her shot.
However, Chile took their first chance at the other end in the 13th minute when Urrutia who was played in on goal by Maria Rojas fired it past the goalkeeper to give her team the lead.
India had an opening to draw parity in the 33rd minute when Indumathi Kathiresan intercepted a Chilian move to play in Pyari Xaxa whose shot missed the target.
India went into the interval with just a one-goal disadvantage but having created openings of their own.
Dennerby made three changes for the second half as Ashalata Devi, Martina Thokchom and Xaxa were replaced by Ritu Rani, Soumya Guguloth and Dangmei Grace.
Guguloth was involved straightaway as she combined with Kalyan to create an opening for Sanju Yadav whose effort was thwarted.
In the 66th minute, Grace had a chance to equalise but saw her shot saved by the Chile goalkeeper. It was a good move that was started by Yadav who passed it to Kalyan who advanced up the field to find Grace in space.
A minute later India were in on the Chilean goal again as Guguloth won the ball high up the pitch to set Kalyan through on goal but the Chilean goalkeeper denied India again.
Three minutes later, Grace had a chance with a header from a Yadav cross but it was crucially blocked by the Chilean defence.
In the 82nd minute, Indumathi tried her luck at goal but failed to find the target after Renu had laid it off in her path from a Yadav long ball.
Hernandez then had the ball back in the Indian net as they were punished for not being clinical in front of goal. A minute later, India, who seemed to have lost their concentration at the back, conceded again this time through Araya who added a third goal for Chile.
The late goals made it a tough scoreline for India, who were in the game for large part of the encounter.
India will now play Venezuela in their final game of the tour on December 1.
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