The Indian women’s national football team delivered a resounding 8–1 victory over Dubai-based club Precision Football in a closed-door friendly during the late 2025 FIFA international window.
While the match was not against a FIFA-ranked national team, the performance offered crucial insights into the Blue Tigresses’ tactical evolution, attacking versatility, and readiness for a demanding 2026 calendar highlighted by the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Australia.
The result, triggered by a stunning four-goal haul from 20-year-old forward Lynda Kom Serto, signals the emergence of a new attacking spearhead. Yet for head coach Crispin Chettri, the match served a deeper purpose: testing offensive structures, reintegrating overseas-based talent, and identifying areas that still require sharpening especially defensive discipline.
A Strategic Friendly at a Crucial Moment
This fixture, organised in Dubai India’s long-time international training hub was scheduled within a packed November/December FIFA window. The timing was critical. Just months earlier, India had sealed a historic merit-based qualification to the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup with a 2–1 victory over Thailand. The team arrived in the UAE needing momentum and refinement.
Dubai’s logistical convenience allowed rapid assembly of key players, particularly those based overseas such as Danish first-division midfielder Aveka Singh, whose presence has become central to India’s evolving tactical identity. Facing a well-structured club side like Precision Football gave India the opportunity to execute attacking patterns at high volume while controlling the tempo an exercise difficult to achieve against higher-ranked national sides early in a preparation cycle.
The Opposition: Professional, Structured, and Ideal for Testing Attacking Rhythm
Precision Football operates a comprehensive professional pathway within the UAE, with their women’s team competing at the upper levels of the domestic pyramid. Led by captain Eve Barnes, the squad offers organisation and fitness, but not the tactical rigor of top Asian national teams. This made them the perfect “Phase 1” opponent: good enough to challenge India’s physical dominance, but not so strong as to inhibit confidence-building or limit attacking experimentation.
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India’s eight goals reflect precisely what the coaching staff wanted volume in the final third, confidence for forwards, and clear execution of offensive structures rehearsed throughout camp.
The goals came from four players: Lynda Kom (4), Aveka Singh (2), Sangita Basfore (1), and Anju Tamang (1). This distribution captures everything the coaching staff prioritizes: youth development, overseas integration, and reliability from the domestic core.
Kom’s Four Goals: A Star Arrives
At just 20, Lynda Kom has long been considered India’s brightest attacking prospect. Her four goals in one match coming on the heels of Golden Boots at the U-17 and U-18 international levels confirm her readiness to lead the senior attack. If India is to threaten Asian defences in 2026, Kom will be central to that effort. The next step, as the report indicates, must be securing her sustained exposure to top-tier defensive systems abroad.
The midfielder’s two goals underline why the AIFF’s global scouting and diaspora integration strategy is essential. Developed in Spain, matured in the United States, and now thriving in Denmark, Aveka brings tactical clarity and physical tempo that raise India’s midfield standards. Her goal-scoring from deep positions rare in Indian squads of the past adds an unpredictable dimension to the attack.
Basfore and Tamang: The Reliable Spine
Veteran midfielder Sangita Basfore, who scored the decisive brace in India’s AFC qualification win over Thailand, again demonstrated leadership and timing. Forward Anju Tamang, a long-serving component of the attack, added her own goal, reinforcing her continued relevance in a squad increasingly shaped by youthful energy and foreign-trained professionals.
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Even in an eight-goal triumph, the single goal conceded stands out. It reflects what the analysis calls a “micro-warning of a macro vulnerability”: the tendency for defensive switches-off under low pressure, a problem that cost India against Iran and remains a serious threat ahead of the Asian Cup. In a tournament setting where one moment can decide qualification these lapses could prove fatal.
What This Means for 2026
Taken in context, this friendly was not about the scoreline. It was about:
- Elevating attacking confidence
- Integrating overseas players seamlessly
- Building rhythm ahead of higher-tier matches
- Testing tactical patterns in real game state
- Identifying defensive gaps needing urgent correction
India will soon face opponents such as Russia, South Korea, Jordan, Vietnam, and Japan all offering exponentially higher difficulty. But as a foundation-building exercise, the Precision FC friendly achieved everything required.
With an emerging star in Kom, a midfield enhanced by European professionalism through Aveka, and dependable leaders like Basfore and Tamang, India’s women’s team is developing a balanced structure capable of challenging Asia’s middle tier. The 8–1 victory is not a predictor of future results. But it is a declaration: the Blue Tigresses are building depth, sharpening their attack, and stepping into 2026 with increasing tactical clarity and confidence.
And for now, that matters just as much as the scoreline.
