Bhubaneswar: Manipur and Odisha booked their spots in the finals of the 29th Senior Women's National Football Championship for the Rajmata Jijabai Trophy 2024-25 at the Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama Ground on 23rd December.
In the semifinals, Odisha captain and striker Pyari Xaxa played a pivotal role in her team’s victory scoring both goals and the team edged out Haryana by 2-0 goals on Friday. The contest began in an energetic fashion, with attacks from both sides.
A few good saves by India international Shreya Hooda under the Odisha bar prevented an early Odisha opener. Still, Hooda could do little when, in the 10th minute, Pyari dribbled past a couple of defenders to give Odisha the lead. It was a fine individual effort on part of the India International.
After the breather, Haryana mostly played through the wings and kept pushing forward, but, unfortunately, could not convert their chances. Odisha goalkeeper, Sasmita Parida was a standout player today as she managed to block the wave of attacks from Haryana in the second half.
Pyari put the game to bed in the 88th minute when her free-kick from the right slipped through Hooda’s hands to roll over the line, virtually ending Haryana’s chances of making the final for the second time in a row.
In the semi-finals, Manipur, 22-time champions and considered the powerhouse of Indian women’s football, defeated West Bengal 3-0, while Odisha scored once in each half to beat last year’s runners-up Haryana 2-0. This is the seventh time Odisha will play the final, which will be played at the same venue on December 23, 2024.
Odisha won the title once in the 2010-11 season in Bhilai. They finished runners-up on five occasions, losing to Manipur in the final. The last time two teams met in the final was in the 2018-19 edition in Cuttack when Manipur edged out hosts Odisha 2-1.
