Indian womens football Archives

Want to inspire more young girls, declares Emerging Footballer of the Year Manisha

By Sanjay Jadhav 20 July 2021

New Delhi: At just 19 years of age, Manisha Kalyan has established herself as one of the key members of the Indian Senior Women’s National Team. With her being named the AIFF Women’s Emerging Footballer of the Year 2020-21, the youngster stated that the Award inspires her to keep moving forward together and inspire the next generation of girls.

“I used to play in school and at state-level. It was only at 15 or 16 that I realised that can make my way up to the Indian National team. I want that the players who are younger than me they have the right exposure from the very start. Every player I interact with, I tell them that the future of Indian football is bright and getting this Award can serve as an inspiration for them,” she quipped.

Manisha, who has also represented India at U-17 and U-19 levels, continued: “It feels really nice to win this Award. I want to thank the AIFF for bestowing this honour upon me. I have always looked to plan my career step-by-step and winning the Emerging Player Award is something that I always wanted. I hope to keep doing better from here and keep working hard to help my team.”

The forward is honoured to share the spotlight with none other than Bala Devi, who won the AIFF Women’s Footballer of the Year 2020-21 award, and Manisha recalled how she always idolized Bala and wants to follow in her illustrious footsteps.

“When I was just starting out, my seniors in Punjab told me about Bala-di and her game. Since then, I have always wanted to meet her and share the pitch with her. I was fortunate that I even became her room partner at a camp and I was really happy about that. I have learned so much from her and hope that I can play abroad like her if the opportunity arises,” she smiled.

“I saw her play at the Nationals along with other National Team players like Aditi-di, Dalima-di, Asha-di, Sangita-di and Sanju-di, and compared my game to theirs. Accordingly, I started preparing myself as I wanted to reach that level and play for the national team.”

Manisha, who hails from Muggowal, a village in the Hoshiarpur district in Punjab, thanked her family and dear ones for their support in her journey so far.

“My parents have always been supportive of me playing football and have always encouraged me to move forward. One more key figure has been Manu-didi, my sister who lives in Delhi. She has helped me in every step of my journey and always motivated me. Everyone in my village loves football and has encouraged me throughout. When I was selected for the India camp for the first time, all of them were very happy and gave me their blessings and confidence.”

Manisha, who also won the Emerging Player award at the Hero Indian Women’s League 2019-20 and went on to win the title with Gokulam Kerala FC, expressed that her full focus now is on doing well for India at the upcoming AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2022 in January.

“The main target for me now is preparing for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup. It’s a great opportunity for all of us and everyone is worked extremely hard to get ready and give our best,” she stated.

(AIFF Media)

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Women's National Team

Grateful to AIFF for believing in me and the team: Maymol Rocky

By Sanjay Jadhav 20 July 2021

New Delhi: After four years in charge of the Indian women’s senior national team, head coach Maymol Rocky has stepped down from her role due to personal reasons.

Maymol, who took over the reins as head coach in 2017 after a stint as the Assistant Coach, led the team to a number of international glories and saw them progress tremendously as women’s football continues to move forward together.

She thanked the federation for their ‘trust’ in her abilities. “I sincerely thank the All India Football Federation for believing in me and the team for so many years. I would like to express my gratitude to Praful Patel-sir (President, AIFF), Kushal Das-sir (General Secretary, AIFF), Abhishek Yadav-sir (Deputy General Secretary & Director, National Teams, AIFF) and the entire staff at Football House for all their support,” she averred.

“I am very happy to see the progress we have made in the last few years. The facilities we got were always excellent and the support we got from the federation, Sports Authority of India (SAI), and the Government of Odisha has been the key to our success.”

Mr. Kushal Das stated: “Maymol Rocky has expressed her inability to continue as the Head Coach of the Senior National Women’s Football Team owing to personal reasons. We accept her decision and thank her for her contribution to Indian Football. Our best wishes to her for her future endeavours.”

A former India international player, Maymol termed her stint as Head Coach as the “best phase” of her career and praised the team’s efforts during this time.

“If I look back, we did have our ups and downs but this was certainly the best phase of my career. The team has grown immensely from when I joined and I have also grown with the team. The experience that the players and I have got from the national team has been amazing. I am glad the team stood up to the expectations and the players always gave their best in every session and match we played,” Maymol maintained.

The Indian Women’s National Team created history in November 2018 by making it through to the second round of the Olympic qualifiers for the first time ever, and won the title at the SAFF Women’s Championship in 2019 and the gold medal at the South Asian Games in Nepal.

“My most memorable match would be the final of the SAFF Championship in Nepal. The match was extremely tense and playing in front of a packed stadium filled with Nepal fans, the team showed great character and determination to clinch the victory. We had lost to them at our home tournament and to go and defeat them in the final was a great feeling,” she recollected.

With India set to host the AFC Women’s Asian Cup for the first time next year, Maymol expressed her best wishes to the team for the tournament.

“The AFC Asian Women’s Cup 2022 is the biggest platform for our National Team and I am sure it will generate a lot of interest in women’s football in India and will inspire future players, coaches, and many more people. I am confident that the players will rise to the occasion and give their all. I send my best wishes to the entire nation and the team for the competition and I will be there to cheer for them for sure,” she said.

“I would like to express my best wishes to the next coach as well and will always be there for any kind of support and to help in any way I can. I have resigned but I will definitely return to coaching in the near future.”

(AIFF Media)

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Women's Football

India suffer narrow defeat against Belarus

By Sanjay Jadhav 9 April 2021

New Delhi: India suffered a narrow 1-2 defeat at the hands of Belarus at the AGMK Stadium in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on Thursday, April 8, 2021.

While both the sides played out an even first half, Belarus took the lead through a Shuppo Nastassia penalty, before Pilipenka Hanna doubled their lead. Meanwhile, India’s Sangita Basfore pulled one back deep into added time.

After a good performance against Uzbekistan, India started off with a high tempo in the first half, and almost took the lead within three minutes, when Soumya Guguloth’s venomous shot from outside the box struck the Belarus cross-bar. Striker Pyari Xaxa did manage to get her head onto the rebound, but her effort looped over the goal and went out of play.

Anju Tamang, looked lively, playing at the right fullback position, often making forays into the opposition area. Not only did she help in attack, but Anju also tracked back to make a few crucial blocks and affect a few turnovers in possession.

Around the quarter hour mark, Manisha dribbled past a couple of defenders and made her way into the opposition area, before going down under some attention by the Belarus defenders. However, the referee waved play on.

Minutes later, Belarus had a great opportunity to score, when midfielder Pilipenka Hanna was played through on goal. She slipped her shot past the keeper, but India’s defender Ranjana Chanu recovered well in time to clear the danger.

India head coach Maymol Rocky gave a run-in to experienced defender Ashalata Devi towards the end of the first half, bringing off Soumya in her place, as the two sides headed into the dressing rooms level on the scoreboard.

Belarus grabbed the initiative after the changeover, as they managed to work the ball into the Indian net, but the referee soon blew his whistle, signalling that one of their attackers was in an offside position during the buildup.

However, India soon started to settle into the second half as well. A minute past the hour mark, Manisha Kalyan soared up the left flank to enter the opposition area and send in a low cross. However, it evaded striker Pyari Xaxa, who tried in vain to get a vital touch on the ball.

Minutes later, though, Belarus were awarded a penalty after one of their attackers was adjudged to have been fouled inside the Indian box. Shuppo Nastassia slotted the ball to the left of Aditi Chauhan, who had dived in the correct direction, but the ball was just beyond her reach.

Belarus doubled their advantage 10 minutes later, when Pilipenka Hanna was played through into the Indian penalty box, and she squeezed her shot between the keeper and the near post; as the ball hit the upright and bundled in.

India looked determined to get back in the game after that, and Indumathi instantly found Manisha on the left with a piercing through ball. The latter pulled the trigger after sprinting into the Belarus box, but her effort was saved.

With around five minutes of regulation time left on the clock, India won a free-kick close to the Belarus area. Sangita Basfore stood over the dead ball, and put her laces through it, but her effort sailed inches wide.

Basfore got one back late in added time, as she pulled the trigger from around 30 yards out. The Belarus keeper managed to get a glove onto that, but Sangita’s shot packed too much of a punch, as the ball deflected off the keeper’s gloves and into the net. However, there was not much time left for a comeback, as the referee soon brought the game to an end.

(AIFF Media)

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Women's Football

Indian Women’s Team concede late to lose to Uzbekistan

By Sanjay Jadhav 6 April 2021

New Delhi: India lost by the faintest of margins in their first friendly in Uzbekistan, as the hosts grabbed victory with a late goal at the AGMK Stadium, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on Monday (April 5, 2021).

While both sides created ample scoring opportunities, Uzbekistan found the back of the net with a late free-kick by Maftuna Shoyimova on the 87th minute, to win by a narrow margin.

As the Uzbeks started off on a higher tempo in near-freezing conditions, that are mostly unfamiliar to the away side, India keeper Aditi Chauhan was called into action early on, as she did well to get down and grab a low cross from point-blank range.

India looked to hit the hosts on the counter in the early exchanges, with defender Ranjana Chanu combining with midfielder Sangita Basfore to create an opportunity down the left, but the danger was eventually averted by the Uzbek defence.

The Indian defence staved off the early Uzbek attacks, inspired by Sweety Devi, who did well to deal with the continuous aerial threat by the hosts.

India soon began to warm-up to the game, as Manisha found some space in the Uzbekistan half in the 24th minute, and unleashed a ferocious left-footer that whizzed over the crossbar.

A few minutes later, Soumya Guguloth made her way into some space in the Uzbekistan box from the right. She turned and tried to curl it with her left foot, but it was blocked.

In the dying minutes of the first half, Uzbekistan launched another attack that saw Nilufar Kudratova hit the crossbar, before the ball was cleared from inside a melee of legs, as the referee soon brought an end to proceedings.

Daya Devi, who replaced Pyari Xaxa in the first half, looked lively in the opening exchanges of the second, as she pressed high up on the pitch, to force an error from the Uzbekistan defence, with the help of Soumya Guguloth. The former looked to play it into the path of an onrushing Dangmei Grace, but it was intercepted.

Around 10 minutes into the second half, Manisha combined well with Ranjana Chanu to work the ball up the pitch down the left flank. The young attacker found a channel to Daya, who turned her marker inside the box and crossed it in. However, the ball evaded all the attackers and defenders, and the danger was soon averted.

Uzbekistan had a clear chance to take the lead when midfielder Maftuna Shoyimova nodded a corner towards goal, but Anju Tamang cleared it off the line.

On the 65th minute, India broke on the counter as Sangita Basfore won the ball in India’s defensive third. Under pressure, she managed to poke it onto the path of Dangmei Grace, who carried it into the attacking half, and curled an aerial through ball into the path of Manisha, who slipped through between two defenders. The attacker queued up her shot, but it lacked power and the opposition keeper managed to gather the ball.

Soon after, a cross by Anju Tamang was not cleared properly, as it fell kindly to Soumya Guguloth, who instantly had a try at goal from inside the six-yard box. However, it was cleared off the line.

The hosts found the back of the net with just three minutes of regulation time left on the clock, when Maftuna Shoyimova slotted a free-kick from around 25 yards out, into the top corner.

Thus, India’s first friendly match in Uzbekistan this year, ended in a narrow defeat to the hosts.

(AIFF Media)

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