Khushbu brace takes Gujarat into quarters

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat junior girl footballers are on a roll! After the under-17 side reached the semifinals of junior girls national championship in Kolhapur last month, the under-14 side are on way to creating history. They edged past formidable Meghalaya 2-1 and reached the quarterfinals of the national championship at the Barabati Stadium on Friday. This is the first time they reached the last-eight stage in the championship.
In earlier matches, they had thrashed Jammu and Kashmir 5-0 and Kerala 4-0.
Trailing by a goal early in the game, the Gujarat girls regrouped well. Striker Khushbu Saroj dribbled past the hapless Meghalaya defenders and struck the equaliser for Gujarat in the 10th minute. The talented youngster from Ahmedabad struck again just four minutes before the final whistle to ensure the team’s victory.
Gujarat will now face Uttarakhand in quarterfinals on Sunday.
“I am very happy with the result and hope the girls will give their best in the quarterfinals as well. We played the 4-3-3 formation and were very effective in the counter-attack today which yielded good result for us,’’ Gujarat coach Sushil Surve told the TOI.
“I would also give credit to our selection policy in recent times,” Surve added.
Gujarat’s goal-scorer Khusbhu said the match against Meghalaya was a difficult one. “It was a tough match for us but we were determined to win it,’’ said Khushbu after the match.
Gujarat captain Maya Rabari said there were a few defence lapses in the beginning. “Due to our mistakes, we conceded a goal right at the start but thanks to Khusbhu we emerged the victor,’’ said Maya.