Indian eves handed special trophy

New Delhi: Impressed with the Indian women's football team's performance in the COTIF Cup in Valencia, the tournament's president handed the players a special third-placed trophy.

India played four matches in the COTIF Cup, out of which they won two (3-1 against Mauritania and 7-0 against Bolivia) and lost as many (0-2 against both Villarreal and Spain U-19).

This is the team's best finish in the tournament, and it also won the Fair Play award.

"Our performances were much better this time, and the organisers of the tournament took note of that," said India head coach Maymol Rocky.

"Even the two matches that we lost against Villarreal and Spain were close encounters, and they really appreciated the improvement we've shown in the last one year."

The improvement in performances since the 2018 edition impressed COTIF president Eliseu Gómez Tormos so much that he ended up doing something that was never done before.

"The organisation has valued the immense progress made by the Indian women's team over the last year. They have been a combative side with a warrior spirit that has made the fans here at COTIF fall in love with them," said Tormos.

"For all this, we have given them the prize for the national team that has behaved in the most sporting manner in the event, and I hope that they can come back here next year and repeat their performance once again in 2020. For all that India has offered us, and for being a revelation this year, I would like to thank them," he stated.

The COTIF president also congratulated the Indian coach personally after the tournament.

"We were awarded the fair play trophy, but there was no specific prize for the third-placed teams.

"However, the day after

the last match, the local organisers presented us with a trophy, and the COTIF President also came over to congratulate us on the massive improvement we have shown," Rocky said.