CUTTACK: Haryana sealed the final date with mighty Manipur in the Junior National Football Championship 2016-17, thanks to their hard-earned win over the home team Odisha, courtesy the solitary goal by Nisha in the 78th minute.

Haryana pressed the power button from the very first minute but Renu's mighty effort was gloved easily by Odisha goalkeeper Sanjukta. Six minutes later, another attack was created by the North Indian girls but a little delay in releasing the ball cost the chance.

Odisha tried to gain the control of the match and Subhadra Nayak tried her luck in the 10th minute but the half-hearted shot went wayward.

Odisha continued to mount the pressure on their oppositions through Suman Pragyan, Jasmani and Subhadra.

Haryana tried to hurl from their counter-attacking moves but Odisha defenders proved to be too tough to crack. Three minutes to the break, Subhadra Sahu swirled the ball from the edge of the box but her effort never went down.

After the switch over, Haryana came close to scoring their opener but Renu's volley did nothing but rattled the crossbar. Two minutes later, Suman's ambitious header missed the net by a few inches.

Both the teams tried to encash on opponents' cheeky mistakes but their inept finishing cost those chances.

In the 78th minute, Nisha collected the ball from the half line and finally broke the deadlock from the edge of the box. The goal put some life in the match and Odisha went on full throttle to find the much-needed equaliser.

The heat and humidity took a toll on the girls but both the outfits showed their mettle to leave the ground on a high. Manipur and Haryana are scheduled to face off for the silverware at the Barabati Stadium on 17th July.

Meanwhile, earlier Manipur continued to show their domination as they decimated Tamilnadu by an unassailable margin of 6-0 in the first semi-final at the Barabati Stadium today. Now they are slated to face the winners of the Second semi-final which will be played between homies Odisha and Haryana at the same venue today.

The first semi-final started on a high note at the Barabati Stadium. Manipur took the control from the first minute itself and they took only 7 minutes to net the first goal against Tamilnadu.

Premi Chiru collected the ball from the middle and slotted it home to earn the early lead for the defending champions in the 7th minute.

Tamilnadu didn't hit the panic button and tried to give it back to the North-easterners. In the 17th minute, Sureka outran the Manipuri defender and provided a scintillating cross to Rasiga but the custodian Linthoingambi Devi came in between and averted the danger.

Manipur gaffer opted for the first change in the 33rd minute when she introduced Daya Devi at the expense of Rajni Bala Devi.

The girls went into the break with the same scoreline.

After the resumption, Tamilnadu girls hit the gas and went all out for the much-needed equaliser. In the 48th minute, Karthiga and Adghithi coordinated brilliantly but Manipur defenders neutralised the attack.

On the hour-mark, Vijayakumari curled the ball from the top of the box and Ageya had no answer to the immaculately taken long-ranger.

Having doubled the lead with thirty minutes left, Manipur eves hit the gas to extend their lead.

Four minutes later, Daya Devi tapped it home from close range to justify her selection. Tamilnadu should have gained the remote of the match by then, should they kept their hope of advancing to the final alive but unfortunately they failed to do so.

In the 71st minute, Tamilnadu tried to penetrate the Manipur defence line but the seasoned custodian showed her bravado to keep the scoreline unscathed.

With nine minutes left, Ratanbala Devi netted her first today which took her tally to 19 in this tournament. Two minutes later, Kashmina stunned the goalie and etched her name in the scoresheet.

Kashmina missed the net by a whisker two minutes which left the Manipur bench aghast.

The goal feast continued as Ratanbala Devi scored another in the dying minutes. The jaded Tamilnadu girls could not find an answer to the scintillating brand football of Manipur till the final whistle.

By Shoubhik Mukhopadhyay
AIFF Media Team