Gained good experience, says footballer Soumya Guguloth

Hyderabad: When Soumya Guguloth was told that she would be in the starting line-up in the match against Serbia during Indian women’s tour of Turkey, the 19-year-old was all excited and a bit nervous at the same time.

“I was very happy on my debut. But when they told me that I am starting in the match against Serbia during the team meeting, I was a bit scared. I had been dreaming of this moment from the day I started playing football. And when the moment finally arrived, I was over the moon,” recalled Souyma, who donned the national jersey for the first time on February 17 this year.

However, her debut was a bit of a disappointment as she suffered an injury at the 30-minute mark that saw her leave the field. The injury sidelined her for the next two matches and also for a month. “I was shattered. It took me a month to recover but I was with the Indian camp during this period. I was not sure whether I could make a comeback. I missed the next two matches in Turkey. But I was named in the team for the matches against Uzbekistan and Belarus in April. That gave me a lot of boost and belief that I belong here,” she explained.

Though the result didn’t go in India’s way as they lost all five matches on the Turkey and Uzbekistan tours, Soumya said she learnt a lot from her maiden tour. “The level of game we play in India and on the tour is completely different. The pace of the game is very high. I understood what I have been playing from my junior days is not at all enough here. I am eager to improve my game and prove myself,” said the girl from Kishan Thanda of Renjal Mandal in Nizamabad district.

Souyma, who led Indian under-17 team in the BRICS tournament, came close to scoring her maiden international goal in the first half of the match against Belarus where she took a shot at the goal from outside the box but it hit the woodwork. “If I had scored that goal, it would have been a turning point for me as well as for the team. The goal would have given me a lot of confidence,” she said.

When asked about her experience with the Indian team, she recalled, “It was good. But at times I felt a bit lonely. Most of the players who came from the same State hung out together. I was alone and thought another player from the State would have been good.”

She is now focused on putting on a better show in the upcoming AFC Asia Cup scheduled to be held next year in India. “We were supposed to have a camp in June for the Asia Cup. But because of Covid it has been postponed. With the lockdown here in State, I am not able to train. I am working on my fitness and doing drills at home,” she revealed.

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