Football · Women’s · Match Report
India U17 Women Thrash Iraq 14-0 in Historic Win in AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers
Anushka Kumari scored five and eight different players found the net as the Young Tigresses made a statement in Malaysia, winning the biggest game in their history by a distance.
Half-time 7-0. AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers, Group E.
India U17 women opened their AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup 2027 qualifying campaign with a 14-0 win over Iraq at the MP Selayang Stadium in Malaysia on Monday, 5 October. Anushka Kumari scored five times and was named Player of the Match, with Silky Devi Sorokhaibam and Abhista Basnett adding two each. According to match reports, it is the largest win in the history of India’s U17 women’s team.
India led 7-0 at half-time and kept scoring after the restart, with the final goal arriving in the third minute of stoppage time through Alva Devi Senjam. Reports also say play was halted for around 30 minutes after the 64th minute because of lightning and thunder; India scored five more goals once it resumed.
How the goals came
Anushka leads the way
Anushka opened the scoring in the ninth minute and added a second in the 12th, then returned with goals in the 39th, 47th and 71st. Khel Now reports she is the first Indian to score five goals in a game in the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers, a claim PurePlay India has not been able to confirm from a second source.
What stands out as much as her tally is how widely the goals were shared. Thandamoni Baskey, Nira Chanu Longjam, Pritika Barman, Joya Kabul Hasan and Alva Devi Senjam each scored once, and Silky Devi Sorokhaibam and Abhista Basnett twice, so the attack was producing from several places rather than leaning on one finisher.
The record
Previous best for India’s U17 women: 12-0, against the UAE in 2014 and Sri Lanka in 2018. Monday’s 14-0 goes two clear.
What the Sports Desk saw
PurePlay India’s Sports Desk watched the match live, and the scoreline matches the pattern of play. India controlled the game from the first whistle through short, quick passing, won most of the duels, and produced a steady stream of interceptions. Players tracked back as a unit, and their game awareness was very good. It was complete dominance from start to finish.
Sports Desk view
Short, quick passing, duels won, interceptions, everyone tracking back: India controlled the game from start to finish.
India lined up in a 4-4-2. Both wide midfielders joined the attack, one of the centre-backs stepped up into midfield at times, and the full-backs drove forward on many occasions. Abhista Basnett, listed in the squad as a defender, scored twice. Credit for that structure belongs to head coach Joakim Alexandersson and his staff.
The rain affected the final quarter of the match. India did not ease off, and the goals kept coming right up to Alva Devi Senjam’s strike in stoppage time.
A weaker opponent, and what must improve
The result is historic, but it came against a clearly weaker opponent, and the Sports Desk’s view is that the team will need to raise its overall game to do well at the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup itself. Facing sides that can hold the ball and press back will be a different test from Monday’s.
Group E: standings and outlook
Group E after matchday one
AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers · Group winners advance to the finals in China
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF:GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India U17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14:0 | +14 | 3 |
| 2 | Malaysia U17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1:0 | +1 | 3 |
| 3 | Syria U17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:1 | -1 | 0 |
| 4 | Iraq U17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:14 | -14 | 0 |
Group winners advance to the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup 2027 in China, and the finals double as qualification for the 2027 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup for the top teams. India’s 14-goal opening win puts them well clear on goal difference, which can matter if the group is tight.
The Sports Desk also watched Malaysia’s 1-0 win over Syria, and neither side looked to be at India’s level. On that evidence India have a strong chance of topping the group, provided they stay sharp.
The 2026 finals in China were India’s first, and they lost 3-0 to the hosts in the quarter-final. Winning this group would put them there again.