CUTTACK 12-Jul-2018
Manipur were crowned Sub-junior Girls National Football Champions, defeating host Odisha 2-1 in the final at Barabati Stadium here today. Odisha Sports Minister Chandra Sarathi Behera handed over the trophies in the presence of Football Association of Odisha president Debashish Samantaray and Odisha Athletic Association secretary Asirbad Behera.
Overall, it was improved performance by Odisha girls, who had bowed out from the semifinal stage last year, losing to Chandigarh in Imphal. Led by Sumitra Hembram, Odisha won four matches on their way to the final this year. They trounced Uttarakhand twice (17-0 and 6-0) in Group-C league, hammered Chandigarh 9-0 in the quarterfinals and eliminated Kerala 6-1 in the semifinals.
