AIFF Media Team

NEEMUCH, MADHYA PRADESH: Odisha booked their spot in the Sub Junior Girls’ National Football Championship Tier 2 2024-25 final after they beat Kerala 3-1 at the Dr. Rajendra Prasad Stadium, in Neemuch, Madhya Pradesh, on Sunday, September 15, 2024. The winners led 3-0 at half-time.

Odisha got off to a good start as Kamini Malik (13’) scored early on, while Kerala midfielder Theertha A’s (29’) own goal doubled the formers’ lead. Lipi Kishan (32’) added a third for Odisha, putting them in a comfortable position.

Substitute Ashika Merlin (66’) pulled one back for Kerala, but the damage had already been done. Odisha will face hosts Madhya Pradesh in the final at the Dr. Rajendra Prasad Stadium on Tuesday, September 17, at 6 pm IST.

Assam, Rajasthan into Sub Junior Boys’ NFC Tier 2 semi-finals

JORHAT, ASSAM: Assam and Rajasthan clinched a semi-final spot each in the Sub Junior Boys’ NFC 2024-25 Tier 2 on Sunday.

Assam sealed the top spot in Group A in style, after beating Lakshadweep 7-0 after leading 3-0 at half-time.

Needing a point to secure top spot in Group A, Assam had a rather indifferent start, and only took the lead closer to the half-time whistle, when Lakshadweep defender Mohammed Hassan scored an own goal (40’). That, however, opened the floodgates, as Sahir Kujur (45+1’, 80’) and Tanmoy Boruah (48’ p, 62’ p) scored two each, and Arup Karmakar (45+4’) and Deep Thaose (70’) added one each for Assam.

Over in the other match from Group A Tamil Nadu beat Telangana 4-0. The former not only needed to secure three points against Telangana, but would also have had to hope for a favour from Lakshadweep to qualify, something that eventually did not come to pass.

Substitute MS Alwyn Joseph (55’ p, 63’, 69’) made the difference for Tamil Nadu in the second half, quickly putting them in a commanding position, before Dhanvharsh (90+2’) added a fourth.

In Group C, Rajasthan emerged as the top team, after they held Uttarakhand 3-3 in their final match of the group stage.

Uttarakhand, needing to win by a margin of more than a goal, started off well, as goals from Divyansh Singhel (19’) and Anadi Shukla (28’) put them 2-0 ahead at half-time, before Mayank Chand (46’) added a third. However, Rajasthan captain Dhairya Sanadhya mounted a comeback, scoring in the 47th minute, before a 63rd minute penalty from Ativeer Dhoka brought them to within one goal of Uttarakhand. Chand eventually scored the equaliser in the 68th to secure a semi-final spot for his side.

In the other game, Mubashir Maqbool Dar netted seven goals to help his side to an 8-1 victory against Pondicherry.

The Jammu and Kashmir onslaught started early on when Ayushman Singh Sambyal’s (10’). Dar’s show began after the half-hour mark (33’, 37’, 45+3’, 82’, 85’, 90+4’, 90+7’), as Jammu and Kashmir completed the rout.

Sub-Junior Boys’ NFC 2024-25

Tier 1, Bengaluru, Karnataka

Group B: Kerala vs Jharkhand (7am), Gujarat vs Manipur (10am)

Group D: Bengal vs Maharashtra (1pm), Goa vs Uttar Pradesh (4pm)

Tier 2, Jorhat, Assam

Group B: Chandigarh vs Haryana (3pm), Andaman & Nicobar vs Tripura (3pm)