Nongmeikapam itocha singh

Nongmeikapam Itocha Singh: With 10 goals including two hat-tricks, the Indian women's U19 squad started with a bang in their opening match against Bhutan in the SAFF U-19 Women's Football Championship in Dhaka, marking a commanding beginning for the Young Tigresses. It was also a performance worth remembering for two debutantes, Sibani Devi and Pooja, both of whom scored three goals each in that eventful match.

Though after the final whistle, the girls celebrated and congratulated each other, deep down, they were aware that the task was not complete. They have another major hurdle to cross -- a match against hosts Bangladesh against whom they have an indifferent record.

“I was really happy and felt very proud of myself,” smiled Sibani, who scored her first hat-trick against Bhutan on Friday. “We played as a team against Bhutan. “I wanted to score a goal yesterday, but when I scored my first goal, I thought to myself, I should now score another. Then another came along, it was not expected, but I am happy I did,” Shibani Devi was quoted as saying by the-aiff.com.