Thankful to people who came to watch women sports, says Onyeka Gamero

Published at :October 12, 2022 at 6:39 PM

Modified at :December 13, 2023 at 1:01 PM

(Courtesy : USYNT)

The USA U-17 winger scored a brilliant goal in the 23rd minute.

India got a reality check in the opening game of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup as they were on the receiving end of a 0-8 defeat by the USA. The young Blue Tigresses had a World Cup debut to forget as they were completely overwhelmed by Natalia Astrain’s side. The US killed the game in the opening 15 minutes itself as they had a 0-2 lead before adding three more goals in the first half. They then added three more in the second half to put the final nail in the coffin for India. It was a brilliant team effort for the USA, but it was Onyeka Gamero who put on a great show and helped her side get off to a great start. She was named the Player of the Match for her heroic performance on the flanks.

She spoke exclusively to Khel Now just after the match and shared her thoughts on the game.

Thoughts on the win

The USA’s 0-8 victory over India was their biggest win in the history of the competition. Onyeka shared her thoughts on the game and said the win sets the tempo for the remainder of the tournament. She also mentioned that they need to build upon this in order to get better.

“I am very grateful that we started in such a powerful way. It kind of set the tempo for the rest of the tournament. But we need to continue playing well to improve further,” she asserted.

Atmosphere in the stadium

Over 8,000 people turned up at the Kalinga Stadium to watch the festival of U-17 women’s football in their own backyard. The stadium was jam-packed for the match with school kids, parents, teachers and people from every age group.

It seemed as if football brought them together for a purpose. Sharing her feeling on playing in front of such loud fans, Onyeka Gamero expressed her gratitude towards everyone who showed up at the stadium to support women's sports.

“I am just very grateful that people invested time in women's sports and came to watch us. I mean they could be doing anything else, but they came to watch us,” she signed off.