Women's Nationals: Orissa cruise into title round

IMPHAL: With the final score-line reading 3-0 in their favour, Team Orissa made light work of opponents Tamil Nadu to book their place in the finals of the 18th Senior Women’s National Championship, marking the second consecutive time that they will face-off against Manipur for the title.

 

Coming into the semi-final matchup with a perfect record of five wins in as many games, securing top place in Group A in the process and notching up a staggering fifty goals – averaging a mind-boggling ten goals per game – Orissa wasted no time in making their presence felt as the eves immediately went on the offensive and gradually took control of the game.

 

Twenty eight minutes in and Orissa took the lead thanks to an expertly placed shot by striker Jhili Munda. It was all one way traffic with Tamil Nadu being constantly under threat as their more illustrious opponents continued to make consistent inroads into the final third.

 

On to the second half and the spectacular scoring spree of International striker Sasmita Mallick continued as she notched up two more goals to put the result beyond doubt. The Orissa top-scorer - who had previously scored five goals in a single game against Haryana - came out trumps in close-range contests against the Tamil Nadu keeper, netting twin strikes in the 63rd and 80th minute.

 

Fittingly, the best two teams in the championships will feature in the title round on 25th March with defending champion Manipur’s home field advantage and massive crowd support giving them a slight edge over their fierce rivals.