AIFF Media Team

NEW DELHI: The Junior National Football Championship for Girls kicked-off in Cuttack, Odisha today (July 01, 2016) with Tamil Nadu hammering Delhi 4-2 and Goa breezing past West Bengal 3-1 in the opening Group B and Group fixtures of the Tournament, respectively.

A sterling hattrick by Karishma Shirvoikar led Goa to a comfortable 3-1 win against West Bengal, as Karishma scored in the 33^rd and the 41^st minute to give Goa a 2-0 lead going into the tunnel at half time. Although West Bengal halved their deficit in the 47^th minute when Sinita Sarkar’s strike found the back of the net, Karishma restored the two goal difference when she scored in the 89^th minute to complete her hattrick as the full-time scoreline read 3-1.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu came from a goal down to register a convincing 4-2 win over Delhi. Although Delhi took the lead in the 18^th minute through Parul Negi, Vijaya Kumari scored in the 42^nd minute to keep the scoreline at level pegging at half time. Kumari then once again popped up in the 18 yard box and found the net in the 51^st minute to give Tamil Nadu the lead.

Delhi equalized their deficit through Anushka Samuel in the 81^st minute but two late goals in the 88^th and the 90^th minute by Malavika and Rasiga respectively, led Tamil Nadu to a 4-2 win.

Meanwhile in the late fixtures for the day, Odisha steamrolled Uttar Pradesh 10-0 while Mizoram played a 2-2 draw against Pondicherry.