Junior Girls National Football C'ship: Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat enter semi-finals

Kolhapur (Maharashtra) [India], Apr 28 (ANI): Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat recorded victories against Odisha and Mizoram respectively to enter the semi-finals of the Junior Girls National Football Championship 2019-20 at the Polo Ground in Kolhapur.
Himachal on Saturday became the third team to enter the semi-finals after a comfortable 4-0 win over Odisha, who started off well but fizzled away after the first 10 minutes. Himachal skipper Anju should have put her team into the lead in the 11th minute as she missed from close range but just eight minutes later, Kiran gave them the lead after coolly slotting home a spot kick.
The side from north India continued to enjoy the better of the chances and doubled their lead in the 38th minute through Anju, who showed great skill to control a cross from the left, beating her marker and finishing into the bottom corner.
Himachal continued their dominance in the second half as Manisha tripled her team's advantage with an expertly-taken goal. In the 63rd minute, she received a through-pass with her back to goal and spun past the keeper to turn her inside out and score.
Nisha became the fourth scorer for Himachal in the 72nd minute as she rifled the ball home from the left flank with a rasping drive as the match ended 4-0 - the exact scoreline as the first two quarterfinals.
In stark contrast to the first game of the day, the last quarterfinal between Gujarat and Mizoram was a cagey and physical affair that was played predominantly in the midfield.
The first half failed to provide any major chances, with Gujarat's Shilpaben Thakor denying the opposition with a clearance off the goal-line in the 29th minute. Mizoram custodian Lalhriatpuii produced a fine save from a long-range effort at the stroke of half time, ensuring the scores remain level at the break.
The second period was also similar to the first, with both sides tussling to get past the other's defences. As the match inched towards extra time, the deadlock was almost broken by Mizoram's Ruth Vanlalpeki, whose shot from the top of the box came back off the post.
The game-changing moment, however, came in the fourth minute of injury time. Gujarat's Ishita Matthew was allowed space down the right flank and flung in a looping ball into the box which found its way into the corner and gave her side the lead. In the last two minutes, they hung on for dear life and secured the victory as the match ended 1-0.
The semi-finals are scheduled to take place on April 29, wherein Gujarat will take on Jharkhand while Himachal Pradesh will meet Haryana. (ANI)