FIFA Women's u17 World Cup: USA beat India 8-0

Angel Martinez - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images

---

USA beat India 8 - 0 in their opening match of the FIFA Women's u17 World Cup on Tuesday night. This is the biggest win for the US team at an U17 WWC and India's biggest loss in this age group.

Melina Rebimbas (9', 31'), Charlotte Kohler (15'), Onyeka Gamero (23'), Gisele Thompson (39'), Ella Emri (51'), Taylor Suarez (59'), Mia Bhuta (63') scored the goals for the US.

India had, in fact, the first attacking move of the game when Nitu Linda ran through the middle of the pitch, past a couple of defender and passed the ball on to Neha, who was immediately tackled by Cameron Roller. That was the last time India had any true possession of the ball in the US box.

The US team won 11 corners in the game, and the first goal came from one of those. Riley Jackson played it short, received the ball back, dribbled past a couple of markers before standing one up into the six-yard box. Rebimbas met it on the volley, at about hip high, and guided it into the net.

The pressure was relentless with Gamero and Suarez taking it in turns to twist India's defence inside out with their direct running, Jackson and Kohler controlling play in midfield behind them.

Corners were a constant threat, and Charlotte Kohler brushing aside her marker and powering a header home for the second goal was a testament of the superiority of the winners.

India did win a corner, albeit through a stroke of luck as a wild Neha attempt deflected away - but the delivery did not trouble Victoria Safradin in the US goal.

The third goal was self-inflicted damage from India, Anjali Munda playing a goalkick short, Purnima Kumari dawdling on it, Gamero pouncing and passing it into the goal.

Angel Martinez - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images

---

The US missed a chance to make it four from yet another dangerous corner... Emri heading it down into the six-yard box and Gamero failing to connect with a flick on. A minute later, though, they made amends with Rebimbas' second goal - a smashing left footed volley from the edge of the Indian box.

By now everyone wanted a piece of the fun, and the fifth was added by right back Thompson, who exchanged passes with Kohler, entered the box, cut inside and shot powerfully into the near post. This was one of the few times Munda might have felt she could have done better.

The referee blew the whistle for half time on the dot, with the score reading USA 5 - 0 India.

The US continued on the front foot in the second half, with a Gamero smacking a pullback from the marauding Kohler straight at Munda.

Six minutes later though, another corner resulted in another 'simple' goal for US - Bhuta floated it in, Emri simply stood taller than her marker and thundered one into the far corner.

With six goals in, the US' main striker Suarez had yet to find the back of the net, but she almost did in the 56th minute when Nicola Fraser raced down the left wing and pinged a ball into the box; where it hit an unmarked Suarez and bounced harmlessly wide off her stomach.

Within two minutes, though, Kajal fouled Kohler - who had gone on another run into the box from midfield - and Suarez stepped up to place the penalty into the corner.

A few minutes later came arguably the goal of the match, Bhuta taking the ball at the edge of the box and curling a powerful shot into the roof of the net. Unstoppable.

The last half hour of the match continued to remain an exercise in attack vs defence but India managed to limit the damage to 8-0. They now take on Morocco (who earlier lost to Brazil 1-0) on October 14, Friday.

There was a bit of worry for US at the end, when the excellent Rebimbas hobbled off the field in injury time.