Bala Devi becomes first Indian woman to score in top European league

The 30-year-old netted in Rangers Women's FC's 9-0 thrashing of Motherwell Women's FC.

Bala Devi bagged her first-ever competitive goal for Rangers in their 9-0 thrashing of Motherwell Women’s FC on Sunday. The forward came off the bench during the game and scored in the 85th minute to make the history books.

Devi has become the first-ever Indian female footballer to score in a European league in a professional league game. She has already made a bright impact in her stint for Rangers Women this season, often acting like an impactful substitute and also setting up quite a few goals for them this season.

The 30-year-old wrapped up an incredible win for Rangers WFC after they had already dissected the Motherwell side during the game. Apart from her, Kirsty Howat and Lizzie Arnot scored a hat-trick each while Megan Bell & Daina Bourma were also on target.

Before scoring in the 85th minute, Bala Devi won Rangers WFC their second penalty in the 68th minute as she was taken down in the box. Bala went on to score later as she slotted low beyond the keeper to score her first competitive goal for Rangers.

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Bala Devi had a very successful debut in the Scottish Women’s Premier League before the COVID-19 pandemic had affected football in the country back in February. Back then, she had provided an assist as Rangers WFC defeated Hearts WFC in their season opener. Soon after, the league was shut down and only restarted in October.

Rangers WFC have been quite dominant in the Scottish WPL this season, only losing once in six games so far and are currently in second place in the league – only behind Glasgow City.

The league season will continue until May 2021, so Bala Devi will hope to solidify a starting role for herself in the team after scoring her debut goal. For now, she can revel in the fact that she’s the first Indian woman to score in a European league game after becoming the first female Indian footballer to sign with a top European side.