Let’s show that Indian girls can play football: Coach Dennerby

India’s U-17 women’s team during a practice session in Bhubaneshwar

India are clearly one of the underdogs of the FIFA women's U-17 World Cup, beginning on Tuesday, but head coach Thomas Dennerby on Sunday said that the hosts have nothing to lose and are ready for the age-group showpiece event. India begin their campaign against USA at the Kalinga Stadium here on Tuesday and Dennerby said it is time the team shows that it can compete against the best in the world.

"It's not only about the result now. It's about the performance to show that Indian girls can play football. But of course, inside the group, we have our own goals, and we are ready to fight for them," Dennerby said on Sunday. "Against the USA, Brazil or Morocco, we are determined to earn points and score goals. And we're going to show to the Indian fans that we have a good team," he added.

Also Read: India announce squad for U-17 Women's World Cup

Thomas Dennerby

India play Morocco and Brazil on October 14 and 17 respectively in their other group matches. The top two teams in each of the four groups will qualify for the quarter-finals. "We want to dish out a good performance. So, everyone can feel that India really can challenge the best teams in the world," added Dennerby.

Talking about the strengths and weaknesses of his team, he said, "We are going to this tournament with a really good fitness level now. The girls have learnt about positioning, where to go when we lose the ball. I hope it's going to be difficult to score against us."

Also Read: Aiming for quarters berth: India head coach Thomas Dennerby

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