Amritsar: The semi-finals of the 27th Senior Women’s National Football Championship 2022-23 are expected to be close contests on Monday as all four teams — Tamil Nadu, Railways, Odisha and Haryana — are ready for the challenge.
In the semi-finals, Tamil Nadu will face off against Railways at the Guru Nanak Stadium while Haryana will challenge Odisha.
While Tamil Nadu and Odisha progressed from Group A as the top two teams, last year’s finalists Railways along with Haryana qualified from Group B.
Tamil Nadu had a perfect record in the Group Stage and continued their impressive form in the final round of the tournament. The team registered five wins out of a possible five as they topped their group with 15 points.
So far, Tamil Nadu have displayed the ability to withstand all pressure from their rivals. They have not conceded a goal in this edition so far and have scored a whopping 32 times across eight matches, including the Group Stage and Final Round. Having won their maiden title in 2017-18, Tamil Nadu are serious contenders to regain the trophy.
Odisha, on the other hand, registered four wins in five games in the Final Round and finished second in Group A with 12 points. They scored 13 goals in the process and conceded just three.
Meanwhile, Group B toppers Haryana, too, finished their final round campaign unbeaten with four wins and a draw.
Along with Tamil Nadu, they are the only team yet to suffer a defeat in the ongoing edition. In the Final Round, they defeated both the finalists of the 26th edition — Manipur and Railways — thereby delivering a statement of intent.
Only a solitary point separated Haryana from second-placed Railways, who finished the final round group stages with four wins and a loss. The team will be looking to redeem themselves after finishing runners-up in the previous edition of the Championship.
(IANS)
