KOLKATA: Odisha FC Women will take the field at Thong Nhat Stadium in Vietnam on Wednesday, with horrors of their previous encounter at the same venue still vivid in their memory. Their 17-0 demolition at the hands of reigning AFC women's club champions Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies was testimony to the huge gulf that the current IWL champions - and Indian women's football - need to cover to be in reckoning for the top-level game in Asia.
However, the Odisha club made their intention to work on improving themselves through a statement from their club president Raj Athwal on Monday with the assurance that the humiliating defeat at the hands of the two-time Japanese league champions would not stray them off course and the club would keep their faith on Crispin Chhetri to take Odisha FC on the path to improvement.
"I know the last match was tough, not just for the players but also for the coaching staff, the entire team, and our country," Chhetri said at the pre-match press conference in Ho Chi Minh city on Tuesday. "I take full responsibility for the result. But I believe we are growing as a football nation."
While the scoreline doesn't reveal the same, Odisha skipper and custodian Shreya Hooda made a couple of crucial interventions that saved her team further blushes and Jennifer Yeboah made a promising run down the middle early on that could well be the best football on display from the Indian team.
But they will need to shake off the recent past and regroup against hosts Ho Chi Minh City, who will enjoy momentum from their 3-1 comeback win against Chinese Taipei's Taichung Blue Whale in their first match of AFC Women's Champions League.
"There were things in the last game that didn't go our way, like our lack of attacking intent, but we've learned from that experience. We're coming into this match with a fresh mindset and ready to take on the local team, Ho Chi Minh City, with renewed determination," added the Odisha coach.
This Group C fixture in the Vietnam capital will, however, have the added challenge of local support for their opposition and a lot will depend on the young Odisha squad overcoming their disappointment and bringing out their best game when the referee sounds the kick-off whistle on Wednesday.
