Playing against South American teams gave us lot of confidence: Manisha Kalyan

Indian women's team attacker Manisha Kalyan believes that playing against technically superior sides in South America in the lead-up to the AFC Women's Asian Cup has helped instil a lot of confidence into the Blue Tigresses.

Indian women's team attacker Manisha Kalyan believes that playing against technically superior sides in South America in the lead-up to the AFC Women's Asian Cup has helped instil a lot of confidence into the Blue Tigresses. "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 as per an AIFF release.

"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. 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," she added. Just a day ahead of her 20th birthday, Manisha had scored a memorable goal against Brazil, the first by a woman footballer from India against a top 10 ranked side in the world.

"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. "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," she added. (ANI)

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