Buriram [Thailand], September 23 : After scoring her first international hat-trick against Iran in the AFC U17 Asian Cup qualifiers Round 2, Indian striker Sulanjana Raul revealed that the third goal was the toughest.
Sulanjana's three goals helped India end the campaign with a win and three points.
Asked about her immediate feelings by the-aiff.com, Sulanjana said her third strike minute before the final whistle was the toughest. She was well-marked in the rival box, as there were three defenders. But she managed to outwit all and set a shot for which the Iranian goalkeeper had no answer.
“The third goal was the toughest. The way I took the inside touch and then sent it in, it just felt so good,” Sulanjana said.
“I am feeling great and happy to have scored a hat-trick. But overall, I am not satisfied with my performance. I could have done much better. I had lots of chances and could have scored more,” Sulanjana was frank in her admission.
She wasn’t far from the truth, as she could have scored a couple of goals in the first half itself. But Sulanjana knows that not every opportunity in football gets converted into goals. So, she waited for the next and made good use of them.
In a recent interview to AIFF, she said that her father always wanted her to be a footballer and she pursued it diligently since childhood. No wonder, when asked to whom she would like to dedicate her hat-trick, Sulanjana replied promptly, “To my father.”
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