- Zahra Muzdalifah is one of the most promising youngsters in Indonesia
- The striker wants to be the first Indonesian to make a move to Europe
- “I hope to open doors for our players”
Few footballers can claim to have scored their first international goal at the age of 17. The Indonesian up-and-coming striker Zahra Muzdalifah succeeded in doing just that. With a header, she added herself to the list of goalscorers for the first time in an international match and turned the game around.
It happened in the last group game at the 2018 AFF Women’s Championship against the Philippines. As the host of the tournament, Indonesia did not get beyond a goalless draw in the opening game. Two clear defeats followed, so the game against the Philippines was the last chance to save the honor in front of your own fans.
But the game went differently than hoped: After a quarter of an hour, Indonesia was two goals behind. The turning point, however, came when Muzdalifah suddenly arrived shortly after the break and headed the goal. Motivated by the goal, the hosts increased the pressure and came to an equalizer through Mayang Mayang before Syenida Meryfandina even took the lead.
The game ended in a 3-3 draw after the Philippines had almost equalized with the final whistle. Muzdalifah and her teammates, however, received a lot of praise and applause for their courageous performance.
“That was my first international goal and I scored it with a header,” the now 19-year-old Indonesian told FIFA.com. “I think all of my goals for the national team have been header goals to date. We certainly didn’t play badly, but we still didn’t get a win.
It was a fantastic feeling when the ball found its way into the net. I felt my heart beating faster than I realized this was going to be a goal. I cannot describe this feeling in words. I was immensely proud and happy. “
Muzdalifah also impressed a month later at the 2018 Asian Games, which also took place in Indonesia. Here the team did better and celebrated a 6-0 win against the Maldives, to which Muzdalifah contributed two goals.
“I still get goosebumps today when I think back on those moments,” she says with a smile. “I scored these goals for my country. Of course, our fans supported us with their chants and chants and pushed us forward.”
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Cometary ascent
The development of women’s football in Indonesia has accelerated enormously in recent years. The passion for the most beautiful of all games was enormously fueled by the successful organization of the regional championships and the Asian Games. A year later, a women’s league was introduced for the first time, Liga 1 Putri. Muzdalifah was signed as a rising star by Persija Putri, where she wears the number 9 shirt.
The young striker caused a sensation in the league from the start. Against heavyweight Persija she contributed both hits to the 2-1 win. Then, however, she sustained an injury and missed the rest of the season. But thanks to her strong performances for the club and national team, she has established herself as one of the most promising young players.
“I made enormous progress in 2018 and 2019,” she says. “I trained very hard. I wanted to learn something new every day that I could use for my club and my national team. The AFF Women’s Championship , The Asian Games and Liga 1 Putri gave women’s football a tremendous boost. Now we have a lot more opportunities to play. But this year everything was interrupted because of COVID-19. I hope the pandemic is over soon and we will return to the field. “
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The dream of Europe
Muzdalifah has a big dream: she wants to become a pioneer and be the first Indonesian to make the leap to Europe. Your preferred club would be FC Rosengard in Sweden, where Brazil’s megastar Marta played for many years.
“I like this club because of Marta. She’s the greatest female footballer of all time. Obviously, my realistic goal is to find a club in Europe that will sign me with my skills. I hope to open doors for our players.”
In addition to Marta, Muzdalifah admires a few other stars like Neymar and Alex Morgan, from whom she draws inspiration. “I admire Neymar for their incredible technique and Morgan for their straightforward style of play. I want to be a similarly dangerous striker and score as many goals.”
Indonesia is a heavyweight, especially in the most popular sport, badminton. World-class players like Susi Susanti come from here. Muzdalifah believes Indonesia can reach similar heights in women’s football if current developments continue undiminished.
“If we continue to promote women’s football and open up opportunities for it, we will develop it quickly. Women are already on the rise in football and I am sure that we can achieve a lot more in the future. We will be class one women footballers Make Susi Susanti. “
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