In the Rajmata Jijabai National Senior Women’s Football tournament, the State football team ended their campaign on a disappointing note, suffering a heavy defeat at the hands of Gujarat in their final group league match on Thursday. Despite the home advantage, the State team could not secure a victory.
A win in the final ‘G’ group match would have guaranteed Tripura a second-place finish. However, they had to settle for the third position. In the match held at Umakanta Mini Stadium, Gujarat defeated the hosts 3-0.
After defeating Chandigarh in the opening match, the Tripura team couldn’t secure victories in the following two matches, leaving the state’s football fans disappointed. Following the defeat against Sikkim, fans had hoped that Dipali Halam and her teammates would bounce back in the final group match, but their hopes were dashed.
The home team conceded a goal against Gujarat within the first two minutes of the match when Mousumi Orang inadvertently put the ball into her own net while attempting to clear it. Mejabanaur Sims added another goal in the 20th minute, extending Gujarat’s lead. Tripura tried hard to make a comeback but failed to find the net in the first half due to the ineffectiveness of their forwards.
The state team was expected to make a comeback in the second half, and they did try. However, Shreya Deb missed several easy chances, putting added pressure on her teammates. In the dying minutes, while trying to play an all-out game, Tripura conceded another goal. Khushbu Saroj scored the final goal for Gujarat three minutes from time, giving Gujarat a 3-0 victory.
The match was officiated by Mahi Taddu. Gujarat secured second place in the group with two wins. Notably, Sikkim topped the group and qualified for the main round, winning all three matches.
(Tripura, Northeast)
