Arunava about Football A look at football & the world through my eyes!
Related Articles
Manipur Police SC booked themselves a spot in the semifinals in style, defeating FC Kolhapur City by a massive 7-1 margin at the Guru Nanak Stadium in Ludhiana on Tuesday.
Bala Devi scored another hattrick, Irom Prameshwori Devi scored a brace, while Pramodini Chanu and Daya Devi added two more; the latter was awarded the Player of the Match award.
Much like in their previous games, Manipur Police had a fast start. They went 2-0 up in the first 15 minutes itself, with the likes of Iron Prameshwori Devi and Bala Devi getting on the scoresheet.
FC Kolhapur City, though, were not prepared to give in so early, and went on the offensive immediately.
Their efforts to play their Nigerian forward Crystal Eke finally bore dividends, as she broke the offside trap, dummied Manipur Police keeper Roshini Devi, and walked the ball into the goal.
However, Manipur Police made sure that they carried a comfortable two-goal lead into the tunnel, when Bala Devi scored another right on the stroke of half-time.
Manipur Police came out with more intent in the second half, and even nullified the threat posed by Eke by playing a highly effective offside trap. The Nigerian was flagged several times by the assistant referee.
Daya Devi added a fourth for Manipur Police when Bala played her into space on the right and the former beautifully chipped FC Kolhapur City keeper Gyurme Dolma Tamang.
Manipur Police added two more goals thanks to Bala Devi, who dribbled past three players and laid it off for Salam Pramodini Devi to fire it past the keeper. A couple of minutes later, Bala completed her hattrick to make a humiliating scoreline out of what promised to be an exciting match in the first half.
