New Delhi: With the contests in the Sub-Junior Boys (U-14) nearing its business end, it was time for the introduction of Junior Girls (under-17) league matches in 57th Subroto Cup International Football Tournament.

After two weeks of hectic activities, the girls matches began with four of them played today. At the NWC gounds, Sports School from Kohima (Nagaland) defeated St Xavier’s High School from Moira (Goa) 6-0 in the morning while DDFC Team taught a football lesson to Government MLB Girls High School from Chhindwara (MP) with a 7-0 verdict. 

Renu led the charge for DDFC with three goals even as Bharti (2) and Mona and Sandeep Kaur contributed to make a big impression and sound a warning to the rest of teams in the group. Though Renu began it in the tenth minute she had to wait for the closing stages of the matches to add to her tally. But in the meantime, she assisted her teammates with fruitful passes for Bharti and Mona to accomplish the job.

Earlier, the Kohima girls proved their sturdiness and quick movement on the field putting on display their excellent short-pass ability. This, in more ways than one, put the Goan outfit out of contest as their players were unable to dispossess them. Often their midfield errors only culminated in the Nagaland girls hitting the target time and again.

Their team put their faith on two strikers, Kitheli and Abeino and it was the former who opened their account in the tenth minute. But it was Abeino who struck four times, including the first hat-trick for the girls, after Mhasikhono put their side 2-0 up. 

In the morning match at Ambedkar Stadium, Uttrakhand’sRajkiyaBalika Inter College girls were treated like the lambs before a bunch of wolves as ChanambamThambou Higher Secondary School from Imphal (Manipal) as the northeastern team scored 26 times with no response from Uttarakhand girls. Th. Babisana Devi was the most prolific with a dozen goals, including a double hat-trick. Other healthy contributes came from teammates Daya Devi (4) and Rabiya (3). Half a dozen of their teammates, too, scored to swell the number. 

In another match, Government Mizo High School (NCC) from Aizwaldowned West Bengal’s Sarala BhupendraNath Sarkar High School 9-0, thanks to Vanlamawi who scored seven out of team’s nine goals with a hat-trick. The Mizo girls were brutal in their attack and the West Bengal high school girls had no clue to what had hit them.

Hat-tricks, which were a premium in the U-14 Boys matches, came like torrents on the opening day itself, an indication of what is in store in the coming days.