Indian footballer Manisha Kalyan makes history with sparkling goal against Brazil | Football News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: It was a spectacular sight as Manisha Kalyan made a surging run on the left flank after receiving the ball from Pyari Xaxa in the midfield and then slotted an angular shot towards the far post past Brazil goalkeeper Leticia. A historic moment for India, as it was the first time an Indian footballer had scored against a senior Brazil team.
India eventually lost to Brazil 1-6 in the first match of a four-nation tournament (Chile and Venezuela being the other two participants) in Manaus, but the score read 1-1 when Manisha scored that spectacular goal. And it remained like that for a good half an hour.
Manisha comes from Muggowal village in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur district. Youngest of three sisters, Manisha’s father runs a cosmetics shop in their village, while mother is a homemaker.

It was mainly due to the support and encouragement from her parents that Manisha didn’t give up the sport during her early teens, despite the fact that many from her village were dead against.
“Many in my village did not want me to keep playing. A girl playing football was just not acceptable to them. But my parents stuck right by my side and gave me all the support I needed,” Manisha told TOI.
“My mom was a little apprehensive initially, but my dad always let me go and compete against the boys. He has stood by me like a rock.”
Her selection in the national side for the BRICS U-17 Women’s Football Cup in 2018 silenced a lot of the dissenting voices and she hasn’t looked back since then.
“We played Brazil in that tournament, but it was an U-17 level event. In this match, Brazil’s senior team played against us and they had stalwarts like Formiga playing for them. I can say although we lost, we can hold our heads high for the performance we showed,” she said.
“It was a dream come true for me to play against Brazil, and to be on the same pitch as a legend like Formiga was the icing on the cake.”

Manisha was largely into athletics during her formative years, and made a shift to football in 2014 when she was 13.
“Being from Punjab, I was always into sports. It was only in 2014 that I started playing football. Initially, I knew nothing and only ran with the ball. My school PE teacher worked on my skills. Then when the national trials took place, I was not able to make the cut.
“That rejection motivated me and I was determined to break through the next year. I managed to achieve what I had set out for,” said the 20-year-old, who loves “Maa ke haath ka aloo-paratha” and samosa-pakoda.
“But we can’t overindulge. It’s a strict no-no. Diet is an important facet of our overall game. We have to push ourselves no matter what to keep on improving,” she quickly added.
India’s head coach Thomas Dennerby was mighty impressed with Manisha’s goal, and termed it as “one of the highest quality on a football pitch”.