National Senior Women's Football Championship: Tripura thrash Chhattisgarh 5-0
The Tripura women’s football team delivered a commanding performance on Sunday afternoon, defeating Chhattisgarh 5-0 in their first home match of the National Senior Women's Football Championship (Group G) at the Umakanta Mini Stadium. Tripura's overwhelming dominance on the field could have resulted in a much higher scoreline, as they missed several clear goal-scoring opportunities.
From the opening whistle, Tripura asserted their superiority, especially in terms of pace and skill, leaving Chhattisgarh struggling to keep up. The players of the host team launched relentless attacks. However, Chhattisgarh's goalkeeper Asi put on a valiant display, single-handedly preventing a more humiliating defeat. Asi’s remarkable saves denied Tripura at least six more goals, preventing the match from becoming even more one-sided.
The scoring started in the ninth minute when Tripura’s forward Mousumi Orang capitalized on a deflected save by Asi. Although her initial shot was blocked,
Orang found the back of the net on her second attempt, putting Tripura ahead. The pressure on Chhattisgarh mounted as Tripura dominated possession and continued to attack relentlessly.
Mousumi Orang doubled the lead in the 28th minute with a clinical finish, following a brilliant assist from Sandhya Devi, whose long center pass set up the opportunity. By halftime, the writing was on the wall for Chhattisgarh, as they failed to create any meaningful chances.
In the second half, Tripura wasted no time extending their advantage. In the 54th minute, Marina Jamatia surged into Chhattisgarh's penalty box and delivered a powerful shot, making it 3-0. Minutes later, in the 70th minute, Shreya Deb found the net, pushing Tripura further ahead. The highlight of the match came when Kusum Lakshmi Devi scored from nearly 25 yards outside the box with a stunning long-range shot, beating the goalkeeper to make it 5-0.
Although Tripura continued to pile on the pressure, they were unable to convert several more chances. Both Mousumi Orang and Shreya Deb missed at least three easy goal-scoring opportunities, which could have easily made the scoreline more lopsided.
Coach Sujit Ghosh, while pleased with the victory, expressed concern over the team’s wasted chances. "If we waste chances like this against Sikkim, it will be difficult to win," Ghosh said after the match. "We will focus on finishing during Monday's training."
Looking ahead, Tripura will face a crucial encounter against Sikkim in their second match in the National Senior Women's Football Championship on October 22. Sikkim comes into the match with momentum after defeating Gujarat 4-1 earlier in the day at the Umakanta Mini Stadium, with Simran Gurung scoring four goals, including a hat-trick.
(Tripura, Northeast)
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