Rajmata Jijabai Trophy: Manipur march into semis with emphatic win over Jharkhand

Narainpur (The Uttam Hindu): Defending champions Manipur routed Jharkhand by five second-half goals in Group A to become the first team to reach the semifinals of the 29th Senior Women’s National Football Championship for the Rajmata Jijabai Trophy at the Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama Ground on Monday. Manipur delivered a stellar second-half performance to secure a commanding 5-0 victory over Jharkhand after a goalless first half.

Naorem Priyangka Devi struck the first goal in the 50th minute. Laishram Rejiya Devi delivered a pinpoint cross to the top of the box, and Priyangka smashed the ball into the bottom-left corner. In the 70th minute, Priyangka doubled her tally off a rebounder, calmly slotting it into the bottom-right corner. In the 58th minute, Laishram Rejiya Devi sent in a precise cross from the right. A deflection off Nongmaithem Ratanbala Devi’s failed attempt to control the ball, landed perfectly at Dangmei Grace’s feet, who wasted no time in smashing the ball into the roof of the net.

Manipur continued to press, and their fourth goal came in the 84th minute through Asem Roja Devi. Latching onto a through ball at the top of the box, she feigned an early shot, before unleashing a perfectly timed strike.

Grace put the final nail in Jharkhand’s coffin in the 86th minute and scored her second goal. A cross from Maibam Nandeshwori Devi down the right wing found Grace in an advantageous position. Spotting the goalkeeper off her line, Grace smartly tapped the ball into the net.

While Manipur made the grade with nine points from three outings with the match against Tamil Nadu still in hand, Odisha and Tamil Nadu played a 1-1 draw in the other match of Group A.

The draw helped Odisha strengthen their position as they have completed their group engagements with seven points after two wins, one defeat, and one draw. While Odisha are placed second in the group behind Manipur, the other team in the fray, Tamil Nadu, have four points from three matches. Their last match is against Manipur and Tamil Nadu need to win by a margin of four goals to progress in the tournament.

Both teams showcased flashes of brilliance in attack, with well-crafted goals from Sandhiya Ranganathan and Malati Munda. Tamil Nadu goalkeeper Sowmiya Narayanasamy stood out with crucial saves to deny Odisha a potential winner.

Tamil Nadu opened the scoring in the 12th minute, the result of Sandhiya Ranganathan’s individual brilliance. Picking up the ball near the edge of the box, Sandhiya skillfully dribbled past two Odisha defenders. She then unleashed a perfectly placed right-footer into the bottom-left corner of the net.

Odisha responded swiftly in the 24th minute with a well-executed goal. After receiving the ball from the right, Malati Munda, positioned smartly in front of the goal, and calmly tapped it past Tamil Nadu goalkeeper Sowmiya Narayanasamy to level the score.