Indian footballer Manisha Kalyan said it was a special moment as a fan of Brazilian football to score against the country’s national team.
Manisha scored India’s goal in the 1-6 defeat against former World Cup runners-up Brazil in the four-nation tournament in Manaus, making her a name to watch out for ahead of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Mumbai and Pune next month.
“It was a special moment, for sure. I have always been a fan of the Brazilian team. I grew up watching Ronaldinho, and Neymar, and Brazil’s style of football has always intrigued me,” said Manisha in a chat with AIFF TV. “It was a big moment, but that’s not just the end. The main aim still remains to qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup. And also I want to keep scoring more goals for my country.”
The 20-year-old said that the experience against South American sides will help the team during the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, to be held in India this month.
“Playing against those sides was truly a unique experience for us. These are teams that have players who are technically more superior to us, and just keeping up with the pace of the games was so incredibly difficult,” said Manisha.
“We had to stick together and fight like one unit, and I think we gave a good account of ourselves in those three games. That gave us a lot of confidence at the end of the day,” she continued. “Now we know that no matter the quality of the opposition that we face, we can all put up a fight together and do well. That spirit of togetherness has really pumped everyone up ahead of the Asian Cup.”
You can watch the full interview here where she talks about the Brazil goal in detail, how she began her career and more:
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