Photo courtesy: Goa Football Association
Manipur thumped Odisha 5-0 in the Finals to win the 2015 Junior National Championship for U-18 Girls.
Manipur showed their class throughout the tournament and came out deservingly victorious. Manipur controlled the entire match right from the starting whistle and continued pounding the opposition’s goal and put great pressure on the Odisha defense till the end of regulation time.
Manipur opened the scoring in the 6th minute with a strong volley from Premi Chiru which found the back of the net. The early goal ignited the Manipur forwards and they put immense pressure on the Odisha midfielders and defenders.
The pressure was too much for Odisha to handle and a fumble infront of the goalmouth in the 12th minute, gave N. Ratanbala Devi an easy opportunity to score Manipur’s second goal.
Manipur played a team game and moved the ball around really well in a show of class and finesse. S Ranjana Chanu scored the 3rd goal for Manipur in the 21st minute with a fine header from a corner kick.
Premi Chiru took the game beyond Odisha’s reach in just the first half of play with a good strong header to score a goal in the 34th minute and put Manipur ahead 4-0 going into the half-time break.
After changing sides, Odisha made some good attempts at the Manipuri goal, but they did not get close to scoring and Manipur with their superior finishing always looked threatening to score. Manipur held the ball possession for most of the match and displayed superior football skills with short passes, aggressive attacking play and deft finishing.
Kashmina, the highest goal scorer of the Junior Nationals and Player of the Tournament, scored her 22nd goal and Manipur’s 5th goal in the 47th minute of play by sidestepping two defenders and then beating the goalkeeper on an one on one situation with a deft finish and got cheers from the spectators gathered at the Rosary Ground in Navelim.
The match ended with the final score reading 5-0 in favour of Manipur.
Chief Guest Shri Avertano Furtado, Hon. Minister of Fisheries, Labour and RDA and gave away the Winner’s Trophy and Gold Medals to the Manipur team.
Guest of Honour Shri Benjamin Silva, Hon. MLA, Velim Constituency, gave away the Runner-Up Trophy and Silver Medals to the Odisha Team.