10.30 pm: That will be the end of our live coverage of India’s campaign. Stay tuned for follow-up stories.

Group A: USA top the group ahead of Brazil on goal difference, both the pre-tournament favourites through to the quarterfinals.

Full time, Brazil 5-0 India: The players acknowledge the fans at the end of the match. They do seem happy, perhaps a chance of their life time to play these big matches. Now over to those running the game, to make sure this is not where it stops for them.

90+3’ Brazil 5-0 India: GOAL! Lara again. Brazil have their fifth goal! Lara tries her luck from outside the box this time with her left foot and the ball loops over the diving Melody into goal. She is distraught.

90’ Brazil 4-0 India: Now into the added time, 5 mins of it.

89’ Brazil 4-0 India: Neha with a decent position, does well to keep the ball down the left flank, but again her final ball is wayward. Story of the campaign.

86’ Brazil 4-0 India: GOAL BRAZIL! Oh that’s another stunner from distance. Got to feel for Melody, who has been solid for most part but has been at the receiving end of two great finishes from distance. Lara curls this in to the top corner from the left channel, cutting in.

86’ Brazil 3-0 India: India keep going long when they get the ball.. and Brazil keep coming back.

83’ Brazil 3-0 India: Good over by Kajal to prevent an attack down the left flank. Just a goal kick.

82’ Brazil 3-0 India: To India’s credit they are still pressing Brazil high up, near the halfway line. Still hoping for that goal, I imagine.

80’ Brazil 3-0 India: There is about to be a goalkeeping sub for Brazil, why not. ELU in, LEILANE out.

79’ Brazil 3-0 India: Three is a break in play as a Brazilian player is down with cramps. India are about to make two more changes and Dennerby has an arm around each of their shoulders. That’s a nice moment.

PURNIMA KUMARI in, ANITA KUMARI out

VARSHIKA in, BABINA LISHAM out

73’ Brazil 3-0 India: Things are winding down slowly in this group, Brazil not really going for the goal difference that USA have. Happy to see this out.

67’ Brazil 3-0 India: That is a superb tackle by Astam in the box. Rhaissa was about to pull the trigger. Great work by the Indian captain that would have been a near certain goal.

67’ Brazil 3-0 India: The brilliant Aline is one of the next changes made by Brazil. Time to focus on the knockouts.

INDIA SUB (65th min): LAVANYA UPADHYAY in, REJIYA LAISHRAM out

INDIA SUB (58th min): SHELIA LOKTONGBAM in, KAJOL DSOUZA out

62’ Brazil 3-0 India: Good goalkeeping again by Melody for a shot from distance. Except the odd mistake in the last two matches, she has been good in goal for India

57’ Brazil 3-0 India: Gabi Berchon with a curler from distance and that is saved really well by Melody Chanu for a corner. Just a little while earlier Neha threatened to breakthrough the Brazil defence but was stopped.

54’ Brazil 3-0 India: More pressure on the Indian defence, the shot eventually comes from Flavia but Melody saves well at her near post.

51’ Brazil 3-0 India: ALINE! Superb goal. Brazil have taken a few shots from distance and that is the best of the lot, beats Melody comfortably to nestle in the top corner.

46’ Brazil 2-0 India: Second half underway, early presence for India in Brazil’s half. Neha takes a blow on her body from a clearance. Brazil made a couple of changes, India stay the same.

Half time stats: Here’s what the numbers say of the first 45 minutes.

Half time, Brazil 2-0 India: It’s funny how India have gotten better as the tournament progressed. Almost as if playing high quality matches is the best way to improve, who knew? (Certainly not the group of people who wanted India to host this event without a structure for the growth of the women’s game).

45’ Brazil 2-0 India: HALF TIME. The referee blows the whistle, with actually a few seconds left for 45. A flowing half of football, for sure. India actually had a few bright moments but Brazil deservedly in the lead.

44’ Brazil 2-0 India: In all honestly, this has probably been India’s best half of football of the tournament.

40’ Brazil 2-0 India: GOAL BRAZIL! Aline. The No 7 has probably been the best player on the pitch for Brazil and she finishes this move that started down India’s left. Flavia with the pass, the shot on goal goes through Melody’s outstretched right hand.

37’ Brazil 1-0 India: Excitement in the air as Neha goes through on goal, but is tackled by the goalkeeper and the flag went up for offside anyway.

33’ Brazil 1-0 India: Freek kick to Brazil from a nice distance but Berchon can’t add to the tally, goes wide of Melody’s dive.

33’ Brazil 1-0 India: Chance for Brazil, Alice takes a shot on goal but Melody covers her near post.

30’ Brazil 1-0 India: CHANCE INDIA! Neha through on goal but she shoots early. Way too early. Dennerby is incensed, the Indian No 7 might have ben pulled back there actually.

30’ Brazil 1-0 India: How much ever India do well to win the ball back, they give it right back with a hurried pass. That is perhaps the toughest task for this Indian team. Decision making.

26’ Brazil 1-0 India: How things stand in Group A at the moment: USA 7 pts, BRA 7 pts. But the North Americans have the better GD thanks to the big win vs India. Will Brazil chase that? Or be happy with progress?

Elsewhere in Group A:

23’ Brazil 1-0 India: Headed wide and India can regroup for now.

23’ Brazil 1-0 India: More pressure from Brazil down India’s left flank. A Corner conceded by Astam, India struggled against USA with these situations but got better against Morocco. Anita slices it clear at near post. Another corner... lovely flight on this by Carol, Kajal sees it out this time. A third corner.

20’ Brazil 1-0 India: Tidy goalkeeping by Melody as Ana Flavia takes a shot from distance. Just a moment later, a brilliant through ball puts Jhonson through and she overelaborates it. Offside flag goes up but if the goal had been scored, think that would have stood.

17’ Brazil 1-0 India: The big battle at the moment is down India’s left, where Astam is having to defend overtime and Aline and Co.

14’ Brazil 1-0 India: The celebrations in the Brazil dugout were quite something! Everyone enjoyed that. A cheer goes up now as Astam wins a 1v1 battle with Aline.

11’ Brazil 1-0 India: GOAL BRAZIL! Gabi Berchon. That is a lovely flowing move down the right. No 7 Aline leaves Astam behind on pace, cuts the ball back and the onrushing Berchon sends into the roof of the net.

9’, Brazil 0-0 India: Good defending by Kajal to keep Aline wide and force her to cross which Melody handles well.

7’, Brazil 0-0 India: Great chance for Brazil to take the lead. Melody rushes out to smother a move but spills it and Jhonson fires wide with an empty net facing her. India had some defenders backtracking but that is a bad miss.

5’, Brazil 0-0 India: Good chance! The first big moment comes... India’s way. Wow, a clearance put the Indian forward through 1v1 with the goalkeeper who is out very quickly though. A little while later Anita, takes a shot from distance but it goes wide.

5’, Brazil 0-0 India: Good shape from India in these opening exchanges though, staying compact.

2’, Brazil 0-0 India: A nice rainbow lob of sorts early on from Brazil to offer a reminder of why Brazilian football is a flavour of its own.

Kickoff: We are underway in Odisha. Both teams in their away kit, for some reason. Brazil in blue and white, India in all orange.

7.59 pm: Can India find a Manisha Kalyan moment tonight? Will be quite something. Another nice turnout it seems in Odisha, with plenty of school students in attendance.

National anthems time. As we wait for kickoff, a related throwback to the moment Manisha Kalyan scored recently for India against Brazil for the senior team in what was the legendary Formgia’s farewell

Group A: USA have won one and drawn one, as have Brazil. Morocco put themselves in the mix with a win against India. Brazil will want to win this, to progress without hiccups but might also have an eye on the goal difference, which is potentially a threat for India. USA and Morocco will kick off simultaneously in Goa.

Thomas Dennerby on the match against Brazil: ““When we have the ball, we need to feel relaxed and start playing. We need to be confident and play a little bit more. Now, we have nothing to lose. I hope the girls start playing freely. We have to focus very hard on defending, but we also know football is not only about defending. It would be nice for us to score in the tournament. We will fight and try to score a goal. It would be nice to come out of this tournament with a goal. We have worked on the final crucial pass – the actions around the opponents’ box. That is also the hardest part in football–to learn exactly how to handle that kind of situation.”

Play

Playing XIs

Brazil: 1 Leilane, 2 Luana Gusmao, 4 Grazy, 6 Alice, 13 Aninha, 7 Aline, 10 Carol, 15 Rebeca, 16 Ana Flavia, 18 Gabi Berchon, 9 Jhonson

India: 13 Melody Keisham, 5 Astam Oraon, 15 Shailja, 16 Shubhangi Singh, 20 Kajal, 4 Shilky Hemam, 6 Babina Lisham, 7 Neha, 8 Kajol Dsouza, 18 Rejiya Laishram, 11 Anita Kumari

Hello and welcome to our coverage of the India’s Group A match against Brazil at the 2022 Fifa U-17 Women’s World Cup.

After defeats against USA and Morocco, India’s hopes of progressing in the tournament officially ended but perhaps that was always going to be a bridge too far. Tonight, they get an opportunity to brush shoulders with the mighty Brazil. A chance to compete with one of the traditional powerhouses of the global game, and perhaps go out of the tournament fighting.

Against Morocco, India showed defensive grit... holding their African opponents at bay in the first half but once again paid the price for defensive mistakes. Here’s Dilip Unnikrishan’s feature after that match:

Fifa U-17 Women’s World Cup: India show fight but technically superior Morocco still prevail

India squad for Fifa U-17 World Cup 2022 (jersey numbers in brackets):

Goalkeepers: Monalisha Devi Moirangthem (1), Melody Chanu Keisham (13), Anjali Munda (21)

Defenders: Astam Oraon (5, captain), Kajal (20), Naketa (3), Purnima Kumari (2), Varshika (19), Shilky Devi Hemam (4)

Midfielders: Babina Devi Lisham (6), Nitu Linda (17), Shailja (15), Shubhangi Singh (16)

Forwards: Anita Kumari (11), Lynda Kom Serto (9), Neha (7), Rejiya Devi Laishram (18), Shelia Devi Loktongbam (12), Kajol Hubert Dsouza (8), Lavanya Upadhyay (10), Sudha Ankita Tirkey (14)

Head Coach: Thomas Dennerby

Screenshots in the blog courtesy Fifa media / AIFF / Sports 18