Narainpur (Chhattisgarh): Manipur consolidated their position at the top of Group A after beating Odisha 2-0 and Tamil Nadu registered their first win against Maharashtra by 4-1 in Group A of the Final Round of the 29th Senior Women’s National Football Championship for the Rajmata Jijabai Trophy 2024-25, at the Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama Ground on Saturday.
With this win, Manipur moved to the top of Group A with six points from two matches. Odisha too have six points, but from three matches. However, Tamil Nadu with three points under their belt now are in the reckoning for a spot in the semi-final and their match against Odisha could be an interesting battle.
In the 58th minute, Dangmei Grace delivered the ball to Shilky on the left, whose silky finish left Odisha goalkeeper Sasmita Parida stranded. Grace played the provider once more in the 78th minute, assisting Bibicha Devi from the edge of the box. Bibicha skillfully placed her shot past the goalkeeper and into the bottom corner of the net.
Tamil Nadu came from a goal down to bag a 4-1 win over Maharashtra in the second game of the day. After trailing by a goal at halftime, Tamil Nadu came alive in the second session to pick up four goals. Karthika Angamuthu was the star performer of the day scoring a hat-trick in 19 minutes.
Maharashtra scored the only goal in the third minute, netted by Sumaiyya Shaikh. She firmly placed the ball into the right side of the net past goalkeeper Sowmiya Narayanasamy.
In the second half, the girls did the turnaround that left Maharashtra’s defence in tatters. Sandhiya Ranganathan opened the scoring for Tamil Nadu in the 59th minute. Karthika Angamuthu controlled the ball on the right and sent a precise cross to Sandhiya, whose powerful long-ranger found the back of the net.
In the 69th minute, R. Darshinidevi delivered a perfect cross to Karthika, who expertly lobbed the ball into the top right corner of the goal. Shortly after, Vinothini D sent another long cross, which reached Karthika. She executed a well-placed shot, adding another goal to Tamil Nadu’s tally in the 72nd minute. Karthika completed her hat trick in the 88th minute with a powerfully executed free kick from outside the box.
(IANS)
