Narainpur, Chhattisgarh: December 17: At the Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama Ground on Monday, December 16, 2024, defending champions Manipur defeated Jharkhand by five goals in the second half of Group A, becoming the first team to advance to the semi-finals of the 29th Senior Women’s National Football Championship for the Rajmata Jijabai Trophy.
Odisha and Tamil Nadu drew 1-1 in the other Group A match, while Manipur advanced with nine points from three games with the match against Tamil Nadu still in play.
Odisha finished their group matches with seven points after two victories, one loss, and one draw, and the draw enabled them solidify their position. Tamil Nadu, the other side in the competition, has four points from three games, while Odisha is ranked second in the group behind Manipur. To advance in the competition, Tamil Nadu must defeat Manipur by a score of four goals in their last game.
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After a goalless first half, Tamil Nadu and Odisha played out a fierce 1-1 tie.
Both sides had offensive bursts of talent, with Malati Munda and Sandhiya Ranganathan scoring skilfully. Sowmiya Narayanasamy, the goalie for Tamil Nadu, made some outstanding saves to keep Odisha from winning.
Due to the individual skill of Sandhiya Ranganathan, Tamil Nadu took the lead in the 12th minute. Sandhiya dribbled the ball past two Odisha players after picking it up close to the box’s edge. Then, into the net’s bottom-left corner, she launched a well-placed right-footer.
Odisha scored a well-executed goal in the 24th minute to reply quickly. Malati Munda calmly stroked the ball past Tamil Nadu custodian Sowmiya Narayanasamy to tie the score after collecting it from the right. Munda had cleverly positioned himself in front of the goal.
