Football: Meet Jyoti Chouhan – the Indian striker who made a mark in the Croatian top-flight league

Weaving her way between the opposition in the blue kit of Dinamo Zagreb, Jyoti Chouhan cuts an imposing figure. Despite her short stature, the forward was on song when she became the first Indian footballer to score a hat-trick in a top flight European league. In May this year, she netted three goals against ZNK Agram in the Croatian First Football league – a cheeky celebration after her second goal and an absolute stunner of a finish for her third goal, curling past the goalkeeper to write seal her name in Indian football history.

“When I scored the hat-trick, I was very happy,” she said about her performance against Agram, to Scroll. “When I found out I was the only Indian girl who had scored a hat-trick (in Europe), I was thrilled.”

Now back in India, Chouhan is both happy to be back to familiar surroundings at her home in Sardarpur, in the Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh, and itching to conquer new heights. The 23-year-old, along with compatriot Soumya Guguloth had signed for Dinamo for the 2022-23 season after winning the Indian Women’s League title with Gokulam Kerala in May 2022.

But when she first went to Croatia last year, it was an unknown land...

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