Sr Women's National Football C'ship: Railways, Haryana pick up crucial wins in Group B

Amritsar, June 22 (IANS) Railways continued with their impressive form in the Senior Womens National Football Championship 2022-23 final round with a sublime 5-0 victory over Bengal in Group B at the GNDU Main Ground, here on Thursday.

Skipper Yumnam Kamala Devi drew first blood in the 27th minute and there was no stopping Railways after that. Mamta also got on to the scoresheet while Anju Tamang completed her brace as the team took a massive 4-0 lead at half time.

After the restart, Kamala Devi stepped up to take a penalty and coolly slotted the ball home to make it 5-0. Tamang was awarded the Player of the Match.

Haryana shock Manipur

Unbeaten in the final round of the tournament, Haryana picked up three points in style by overcoming the defending champions Manipur 2-0 in Group B.

The North Indian side took an early lead in the 13th minute via Mona. The attacker drove into the bottom right corner following a long aerial free-kick that caused melee inside the box. Before Manipur could react, Haryana struck yet again in the 19th minute to double the lead. This time, it was Renu Rani, who pulled a stunning long ranger that went straight into the top left corner, leaving the Manipur custodian helpless.

Haryana went on to dominate the game by keeping the majority of the ball possession and also recorded 15 shots, six of which were on target. Renu Rani was adjudged the Player of the Match for her classic match-winning goal. The win means the team are on top of the Group B table with 12 points from four matches.

Himachal win at last

Himachal Pradesh picked up their first win in the final round of the competition by defeating Maharashtra 3-1 at the Guru Nanak Stadium.

Skipper Anju netted twice in the span of three minutes in the first half as Himachal raced to a 2-0 lead. On the other end, Arya More pulled one back for Maharashtra.

Himachal Pradesh looked determined to take the three points home as they found another breakthrough in the second half. This time, it was defender Poonam who found the back of the net in the 53rd minute to make it 3-1.

Midfielder Anju was named the Player of the Match for her resilience in the attack.