CUTTACK: The State of Haryana is going through a Football revolution as far as Women’s Football in India is concerned. Be it the Nationals or the International arena among all age-groups, the Haryana girls have always made their presence felt.
After rallying three successive wins in the quarterfinal of ongoing Junior National Girls Championship in Cuttack, the confident girls are raring to give a shot against their Odisha counterparts in the semifinal tomorrow (July 15, 2016).
Nisha, the ace striker is an avid fan of Cristiano Ronaldo and she doesn't hide her elation over her Hero winning the Euro 2016. "Whenever I go on to the pitch, I always try to imitate him. He has won the Euro 2016 -- now I want to win this Junior National Football Championships,” she says, adding: "If the Almighty is on our side, definitely we can scale a newer height."
Breaking social barriers the girls from Harayana have been quite a revelation on their road to their semis. But support from their families drives them forward.
“Our families have been extremely supportive towards us. Had it not been there, we couldn't have reached so far,” says Goalkeeper Shreya Hudda. “That drives us forward.”
Some in the group have already donned the National Colours in their vibrant careers so far. Shreya and Nisha have represented India in U-16 age group, and Samiksha and Renu have been part of the U-14 team prior to that.
Samiksha, the pivotal midfielder is reeling over her injury but she won't leave any stone unturned when the two Teams take the field.
“We have reached so far. There’s no way we can't let this opportunity slip. We would give everything to reach the final. We want to win the Championship,” she maintains.
But they stay aware of the hurdle. Playing a strong Odisha at home isn’t a cakewalk. Renu, the prolific winger who has built up many an attack spoke her heart out to www.the-aiff.com
"If playing Odisha on their home turf is an obstacle – we are ready. We have faced many a hurdle before, steeper and sterner."
By Shoubhik Mukhopadhyay,
AIFF Media Team