Rajmata Jijabai Trophy: Manipur Secures Top Spot, Tamil Nadu Claims First Victory
Click to start listening
Narainpur (Chhattisgarh), Dec 14 (NationPress) Manipur strengthened their position at the pinnacle of Group A after securing a 2-0 victory over Odisha, while Tamil Nadu celebrated their first win against Maharashtra, finishing 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 climbed to the top of Group A with six points from two matches. Odisha also has six points but has played three matches. However, Tamil Nadu, now with three points, remains in contention for a semi-final spot, making their upcoming match against Odisha a potentially thrilling encounter.
In the 58th minute, Dangmei Grace set up Shilky on the left, whose exquisite finish left Odisha goalkeeper Sasmita Parida stranded. Grace was the provider again in the 78th minute, assisting Bibicha Devi from the edge of the box, who skillfully placed her shot into the bottom corner, past the goalkeeper.
Tamil Nadu turned the tide after being a goal down to claim a 4-1 victory over Maharashtra in the second match of the day. After trailing at halftime, Tamil Nadu surged in the second half to score four goals. Karthika Angamuthu was the standout performer, netting a hat-trick in just 19 minutes.
Maharashtra opened the scoring early, with Sumaiyya Shaikh netting the only goal in the third minute, placing the ball firmly into the right side of the net past goalkeeper Sowmiya Narayanasamy.
In the second half, the Tamil Nadu squad executed a remarkable turnaround that left Maharashtra's defense in disarray. Sandhiya Ranganathan initiated 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-range effort found the back of the net.
In the 69th minute, R. Darshinidevi delivered an accurate cross to Karthika, who deftly lobbed the ball into the top right corner of the goal. Shortly after, Vinothini D sent another long cross to Karthika, who 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 powerful free kick from outside the box.
