Meghalaya CM Celebrates Sanfida Nongrum's Historic Goal at AFC Women's Asian Cup

Historic Achievement in Women's Football

On Friday, Meghalaya's Chief Minister Conrad Sangma met with footballer Sanfida Nongrum, commending her remarkable accomplishment of scoring India's first goal in 23 years during the AFC Women's Asian Cup.

Nongrum netted the historic goal in the 52nd minute against Vietnam during India's opening match at the Perth Rectangular Stadium on March 4. This achievement also marks her as the first woman from Meghalaya to represent India at the senior level, a significant milestone for the state's women's football.

CM's Praise for 'Pride of Meghalaya'

In a post shared on X, CM Conrad Sangma referred to Sanfida Nongrum as a source of pride for Meghalaya due to her groundbreaking goal and achievements. He expressed his support and wished her ongoing success on both national and international platforms.

"Meeting Sanfida Nongrum today was a pleasure; she is a true pride of our state. Her historic goal at the AFC Women's Asian Cup and her representation of Meghalaya at the senior level is truly remarkable. I am glad to support her as she continues to excel on the national and international stage. Wishing her all the best," Sangma stated in his post.

Nongrum's Reflections and India's Performance

Following her goal, Sanfida expressed mixed emotions after the match against Vietnam, acknowledging the joy of scoring but also the disappointment of the team's 2-1 loss.

"While I am thrilled to have scored my debut goal for India, I am saddened by our loss in the final moments. We will learn from this experience and prepare for the upcoming match against Japan," she remarked.

As for India's journey in the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup, the Blue Tigresses faced a challenging campaign, exiting the tournament after three consecutive defeats. They lost their opening match 2-1 to Vietnam, suffered a staggering 11-0 defeat against Japan, and concluded with a 3-1 loss to Chinese Taipei.