'Lack of Maturity': Dangmei Grace Explains What Indian Women's Football Team Missed vs Belarus

The senior Indian women’s football team has a huge tournament coming up next year. Ahead of the big Asian Cup test, the Indian team has been on two exposure trips this year – Turkish Women’s Cup and a couple of friendlies in Uzbekistan. Indian women’s football team’s right winger Dangmei Grace, however, sees matches like the ones against Russia as excellent for experience. “Against Belarus, no doubt all the players gave their 100 per cent but the maturity to play against the foreign team, that I feel we lacked.” On being asked whether there were fitness or any other off-the-field issues because Maymol didn’t make positive substitutions in that game, Grace said, “All of them were fit to play because everyone in the XI and the substitutes are all the same but I can only say that there was a lack of maturity in our play.” In that game, Grace herself looked half-cooked and just dribbled more and more instead of having clarity in thought process. “I play as a right-winger and so, I dribble the ball well and then cross it well into the six-yard area so that the strikers get chances to finish – that I believe is my value to the team.” Belarus game also saw a usual mainstay in Ashalata Devi come on as a substitute in the first half for an injured Soumya Guguloth and then she was replaced by Sandhiya Ranganathan early in the second half.