Helped by a hat-trick from their captain N Ratanbala Devi, Manipur got the better of Maharashtra 5-4 in a Group A match of the Junior National Football Championship for girls U-18 here today.
The team from north-east opened scoring early with their ace striker and captain Ratanbala Devi finding the net in the 9th minute at Raia Panchayat Ground here near Margao.
Maharashtra, stunned by the goal, regrouped quickly and scored in the 12th minute through Bhagyashree Dalvi to restore parity.
Kashmina and Ratanbala Devi combined well for the third straight match in the ongoing championship and were a class apart in a team that boasts of 10 players who have represented India in the past.
The striking duo's efforts paid with quick goals coming in the 18th, 24th and 28th minutes to give Manipur a commanding 4-1 lead in just under 30 minutes of play. All these goals were scored by Ratanbala Devi.
Taken aback by the assault, Maharashtra regained momentum through their dependable midfielder Smriti Girish, who started pushing the ball into the opposition's half.
Maharashtra's resilient efforts bore fruit and Bhagyashree Dalvi pulled one back for team in the 39 minute for a halftime score of 4-2 in favour of Manipur.
After the half-time, Maharashtra looked a different outfit, displaying a lot of energy and zeal and putting tremendous pressure on the Manipur backline and goalkeeper.
The captain of Maharashtra Pooja Dhamal scored a goal in the 56 minute to bring Maharashtra closer with a score line of 4-3 in favour of Manipur.
The goal made the match a very interesting affair with both teams working hard to get a control of the proceedings.
Maharashtra efforts to find the all-important equaliser left big gaps in their defence. One such lapse was exploited by Manipur with a good counter-attack goal by Kashmina in the 79 minute. This put Manipur in a comfortable 5-3 lead with just over 10 minutes left in the match.
Maharashtra managed to pull one goal back via Jyoti Mehra in the 90th minute. But it was a little too late for Maharashtra and Manipur emerged victorious with the final score of 5-4.
Maharashtra now play Bihar on October 14 at Rosary Sports Complex at Navelim. Bihar overcame a strong Jharkhand earlier today. Manipur will take on Jharkhand on the same day at Raia Panchayat Ground.
