'PLAYING TOGETHER AGAIN IS A DREAM COME TRUE?

After fleeing Afghanistan, Fatima and her teammates are scoring goals - on and off the pitch

- Maisy Rae

When Fatima Yousufi laces up her football boots and steps out onto the pitch in Docklands, Melbourne, she can't help but W think about the life she's left behind in her homeland, Afghanistan.

"I thought I had to give up all my dreams," Fatima, 21, tells Woman's Day.

"But now we're together and that's the most important thing."

The team captain of the Afghanistan women's national team helped her teammates flee the country after the Taliban came to power in August 2021.

After an international effort from sportspeople and activists, including SBS soccer pundit and humanitarian Craig Foster, the team managed to escape on a military plane when the Australian government granted them emergency visas to Australia.

Known for their horrific treatment of women and girls, Fatima knew the Taliban would target her team as they were high-profile advocates for women's rights.

Heartbreakingly, the goalkeeper had to bury her jerseys and trophies in her backyard.