By Debayan Mukherjee,
AIFF Media Team
DHAKA: It’s an amazing feeling when your teammates become your fans. On Sunday after guiding her team to their first triumph in the AFC U-16 Women’s Championship China 2015 (Qualifiers) at the floodlit Bangabandhu Stadium in Dhaka, India striker Roja Devi felt no different.
Goals in each half, one penalty that rifled in leaving the goalkeeper befogged and another poacher’s finish saw the 15-year old diminutive Manipuri defy her stature to stand tallest and make the difference in a riveting contest against rivals Bangladesh.
Riding her twin strikes, India earned the bragging rights apart from the academic logging of their first points in Group B.
With the partisan crowd baying every Bangladeshi touch and tackle, her teammates magnified the extent of her achievement by competing among themselves as to who would reach her first. “To hug her, and tell her that she has silenced the crowd and in what fashion,” goalkeeper Shreya Hooda told www.the-aiff.com.
“I am very happy. I see my friends (teammates) so happy and all of them are just embracing me. It feels great,” a shy Roja told reporters at the mixed zone.
“It was an amazing win,” admitted Coach Maymol Rocky at the post match press conference.
“We just had to beat Bangladesh, not only for the ‘neighboring country’ rivalry but also because we needed to win after what happened in the first match.”
India led till the 70th minute before succumbing to two goals against Iran n their opening game on Friday.
“Our girls were good against Iran. They were excellent tonight,” maintained Rocky.
India were down by the 20th minute when Bangladesh forward Sanjida scored from the spot with Shreya not at her best while diving on her right to keep the ball out.
“It happens in big matches. She has learnt so much from this. She has made far tougher saves than this in the match itself,” Rocky added.
India now take on UAE who have shipped 23 goals in three matches so far finding the back of the net just on one occasion, today against Jordan. The match ended 8-1.
“I hope we keep up the momentum. This was a good morale boosting win,” Rocky concluded.
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