Manisha Kalyan makes her debut in Women's Champions League

The 20-year-old is the fourth Indian women’s international to sign for an overseas club.

Blue Tigresses’ prodigy Manisha Kalyan has made it to the record books of Indian football once again. She is undoubtedly one of the best players of her generation. The 20-year-old became the first Indian to make an appearance in the UEFA Women's Champions League.

The young gun came on for Cypriot international Marilena Georgiou in the 60th minute at the Makareio Stadium, as her side emerged victorious. Apollon Ladies thrashed Latvian top flight club SFK Rīga 3-0 with a dominant display in their UWCL opener.

Manisha Kalyan recently put pen to paper on a multi-year contract with Cypriot top division winners Apollon Ladies. The move unfolded following Kalyan’s heroics with the national team and Gokulam Kerala in the Indian Women’s League (IWL).

Manisha Kalyan's reign at Gokulam Kerala

Manisha Kalyan completed three successful years with the defending IWL champions before making a move to Europe. She became the second player from Gokulam Kerala to sign for an overseas club after Dangmei Grace joined Uzbek outfit FC Nasaf.

A two-time Indian Women’s League winner with GKFC, Kalyan was also adjudged as the IWL Player of the League in the recently concluded season. She finished as the second-highest goalscorer in the competition with 14 strikes to her name. Moreover, she also became the first Indian women’s footballer to score at the continental level after scoring in the AFC Women’s Club Championship for Gokulam Kerala.

The winger also became the only Indian to score against former World Cup runners-up Brazil in an international friendly where the Blue Tigresses lost 6-1.

After conquering the first leg challenge against the Latvian outfit, Apollon Ladies will now need to maintain the same temperament in the second leg come August 21. And if they manage to do so, they’ll book a meeting with the winner of the FC Zurich and Klaksvik Kvinnur tie.