Afghan women’s football team play first game after evacuation

MELBOURNE, April 24: Afghanistan’s women’s football team has played its first match since its evacuation from the Taliban-led country last year, helped by A-League team the Melbourne Victory.
The Melbourne Victory Afghan Women’s Team played a 0-0 draw in its opening game Sunday in Victoria’s senior women’s competition, only months after 30 players and coaches were rescued as part of an evacuation operation by the Australian government as the Taliban took back control of the country after 20 years and again placed women’s sports in jeopardy.
The Victory are providing their support to the members of the team who relocated to Melbourne.
The Afghan team was created in 2007, played its first official international in 2010 against Nepal and won its first match 2-0 over Qatar in 2012. The rise of the Taliban and the subsequent escape of the players also led to the team withdrawing from many matches. (AP)