The NMI’s Kaithlyn Chavez battles for possession during their match against host Palestine on Friday at the Faisal Al-Husseini Stadium in the West Bank, Palestine.
THE NMI Women’s National Soccer Team gave it their all, but they were outplayed by their two opponents in the Asian Football Confederation U20 Women’s Asian Cup 2024 Qualifiers in Palestine.
The NMI lost to Palestine 1-3 on Friday, and to Nepal 0-6 on Sunday. Nepal topped the bracket by also defeating Palestine 6-0.
NMI team manager Catherine Attao-Toves said after watching the opening game between Palestine and Nepal, they knew they had to make adjustments.
“As we saw in the game between Palestine and Nepal, Palestine was more physical than technical. It took some time for [our] team to adjust to the physicality of the game, with no whistle,” she said.
At the Faisal Al-Husseini Stadium in the West Bank, Palestine on Friday, the NMI handled the host’s aggressive approach in the first half and stood their ground.
However, Palestine eventually overwhelmed the NMI’s defenses and scored at the 50th and 61st minute marks.
“Those goals were due to our errors,” Attao-Toves said.
At the 87th minute mark, thanks to the passing abilities of her team mates, NMI’s Kaithlyn Chavez scored a goal to soften the blow of defeat, 1-3.
Nepal proved to be a much stronger opponent for the NMI, establishing dominance early by scoring five goals in the first half.
Nepal scored their sixth goal in the second half while silencing the NMI with ease.
The NMI U20 Women’s National Team
