AIFF Media Team

NEW DELHI: Rising Student's Club garner a crucial victory over Eastern Sporting Union today (January 30, 2017) to go at the top of the table of the ongoing Indian Women's League 2016-17. Eastern Sporting Union opened the goalmouth in the eighth minute when Radharani Devi found the back of the net. Sasmita Malik scored in the 57th minute to draw a parity in the scoreline and finally, Ashalata Devi converted the late penalty on 83 minutes to clinch three points.

Eastern Sporting Union came out all guns blazing and they didn't need more than eight minutes to get their noses in the front when the defender Radharani Devi converted a long cross from the right flank. Albeit the Odisha outfit tried their heart out to find the equaliser, Eastern Sporting Union girls thwarted every single attack to keep the scoreline unchanged.

The girls headed towards the dressing room with a 1-0 scoreline in favour of Eastern Sporting Union.

After the changeover, both gaffers opted to tweak with their strategies. Kashmina, the hat-trick girl from their first match was introduced at the expense of Pramashwori Devi on 46 minutes.

After seven minutes, Sasmita Malik, 2016 AIFF Women's Player of the Year, got the much-needed goal for her team to cancel out the opponent's early lead.

Suddenly the complexion of the match got changed as Rising Student's Club flooded the opposition box with a flurry of attacks, thanks to brilliant coordination between Pyari Xaxa and none but Sasmita Malik.

Breaking a brilliant counter attack, Pyarki outran the fellow defenders, but only to get clipped by an onrushing defender inside the 18-yard box. The referee didn't think twice to award a penalty for the Odisha outfit and Ashalata Devi calmly placed the ball towards the left of the net seven minutes to the final whistle.

Kamala Devi and Premi Devi tried their heart out to find the equaliser towards the end of the match but Rising Student's Club defenders showed their defiance to earn crucial three points.

Manisha Panna, Player of the match, sounded all elated following the match and she didn't mince her words how relieved they are after the win, "We craved for the result and finally, after the win, we feel much relieved. Obviously, every day we come out to muster all three points and this win will provide us more confidence ahead of the next match."

Rising Student's Club leapfrog their today's opponent to attain the pole position in the table with all possible 6 points from their two matches so far.