Assam rallied from behind to outwit Kerala in a closely fought encounter at Rosary ground, Navelim. Meanwhile, a 10-goal blitz by G Soumya helped Telangana maul Jammu and Kashmir 26-1 at Panchayat Ground, Raia. Shirisha scored seven goals while B Roja and B Mounika scored a hat-trick each. In an exciting Group H match, heavyweights Mizoram outplayed West Bengal
MARGAO
Assam rallied from behind to defeat Kerala 2-1 in Group E of Junior National Under 18 Girls Football Championship at Rosary ground, Navelim on Thursday.
Both the teams displayed attacking brand of soccer. Kerala surprised the rival citadel when Akshara K A slotted past the rival goalkeeper with snap shot in the 22nd minute. Stung by the setback, Assam regrouped quickly and cancelled the lead in the 37th minute when Deepika Goal bulged the net.
Crossing over, both the teams went into attacking mode but goals eluded them. Assam's match winner came in the 56th minute when Maya Ramchiary unleashed a stiff shot that crashed into the net. Kerala went all out but failed to get past the rearguard of their gritty opponents.
In Group G, Bihar routed Himachal Pradesh 7-1 after leading 2-1 at half time at the same venue. The high points of the match were twin strikes each by Tara Khatoon and Surabhi Kumari. Bihar started the game in right earnest and took the lead in the 23rd minute through the boots of Tara Khatton. Spurred by the early success, Bihar mounted pressure on the rival goal and Archana Kumari increased the lead in the 38th minute. Down by 0-2, Himachal Pradesh tried their best and managed to score the consolation goal in the 42nd minute when Gurmeet Kaur placed the ball to the far corner of the net.
Post resumption, it was one-way traffic as Bihar tormented the rival defence with well coordinated raids. Surabhi Kumari inflated the tally in the 49th minute while Nhea Kumari added her name on the scorers list in the 66th minute. Surabhi struck second time in the 52nd minute. Tara Khatton who was in thick of action, registered her brace in the 63rd minute. Komal Kumari drove the last nail into the rival coffin late in the second half.
In Group H , Madhya Pradesh overcome Gujarat 1-0. Pooja Kumari scored the all important goal in the 27th minute. A 10-goal blitz by G Soumya helped Telangana maul Jammu and Kashmir 26-1 at Panchayat Ground, Raia. Shirisha scored seven goals while B Roja and B Mounika scored a hat-trick each. Sarvasree also added her name to the scorers list. Telangana play their next match against hosts Goa on Saturday, October 10 at 7.30 am at Rosary Sports Complex, Navelim.
In Group H, a hotly contested match was played with two heavyweights of women's football in India, Mizoram taking on West Bengal. Mizoram ended the better side of the two with tactical and skillful play for the entire match. Grace Lalrampari gave Mizoram an early lead with a nice goal in the ninth minute and gave Mizoram a big psychological advantage very early on in the match. West Bengal fought back and tried to move the ball into the opposition half but Mizoram stood firm with a strong midfield which played with good ball skills.
Elizabeth Vanlalmawii scored just at the end of the first half, putting Mizoram ahead by 2-0. The second half saw some good football but Mizoram settled in and took control of the match. West Bengal seemed to have lost the zeal to conjure up a fightback. B Vanlalhriattiri put the matter totally out of West Bengal’s reach with a goal in the 82 minute, capping an impressive 3-0 victory for Mizoram. Mizoram play their next match on Saturday October 10 at Rosary Sports Complex, Navelim at 4 pm.
PLAYING TODAY
Pondicherry vs Manipur, Raia Panchayat Ground, Raia, 7.30 am
Odisha vs Karnataka, Rosary Sports Complex, Navelim, 7.30 am
Maharashtra v Haryana, Raia Panchayat Ground, Raia, 9.30 am
Delhi v Meghalaya, Navelim Sports Complex, Navelim, 9.30 am
