Moving the Goalposts | Feeding cattle to breaking barriers: Nepal goal machine Sabitra Bhandari

The 27-year-old has had to overcome obstacles to reach the French top flight with Guingamp. Now she wants change

On a bleak Monday in February, Sabitra Bhandari set off to warm up as soon as the coach made the sign. The clock was nearing the hour mark at the Stade Jean-Pierre Delhomme in the outskirts of Bordeaux and, just two days after signing for Guingamp, Bhandari was set to make history.

And so it happened. Samba, as she’s called by everyone back home, became the first Nepalese player – male or female – to play a European top-flight fixture, coming on in the 76th minute. It was a giant leap for the South Asian nation, whose direct footballing connection with Europe is limited to a few managerial tenures, youth trials, and reported interest in young footballers who ultimately do not make the move. “I always had that dream to play in Europe,” the 27-year-old tells Moving the Goalposts. “Now is the time to prove myself, put those dreams to reality by doing well at the level that I grew up watching.” Continue reading...

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