Contrasting semifinal wins for Dindigul, Chennai

By Our Correspondent

DINDIGUL, APRIL 12. Dindigul and Chennai entered the final of the sixth Tamil Nadu State women's football championship, for Nilgiris District Football Association Shield, at the Nehruji Memorial Municipal Higher Secondary School ground here on Wednesday.

In the semifinals, while it was an easy 4-0 victory for Dindigul over Kancheepuram, Chennai edged past Thanjavur 3-1 via the tie- breaker after playing a goalless draw at the regulation time.

Striker Jayanthi, who scored seven goals (including a hat-trick) in the quarterfinals against Tiruvallur, scored all the four goals for Dindigul on Wednesday. She scored two goals with her solo efforts, after getting possession of the ball near the box, in the second and 25th minutes. She scored the other two goals with direct 20-yarders in the 12th and 49th minutes.

Kancheepuram though trailing 0-3 at the interval tried to put up a fight in the second session but missed two chances of scoring, once by Similin Bright and another time by Tharni Manisha. But it was Dindigul which scored again in the 49th minute. Thereafter Kancheepuram played only as a losing side.

In the other semifinal, which well contested, there was much of mid-field play and there were few scoring chances for both the teams. However, Chennai could have taken the lead in the 20th minute when outside-left Jecintha took a rising shot at the goal but the ball hit the upright and rebounded. In the second half Thanjavur had two chances of scoring but once Susila sent the ball just wide from close range and another time midfielder Nirmala sent the ball over the cross bar.

In the tie-breaker, Chennai goalkeeper Dhanalakshmi brought off two fine saves from Thanjavur's Susila and Jayanthi and virtually took the team into the final. For Chennai Jeya, Sahayarani and Angayarkanni scored and for Thanjavur only Anuradha succeeded.

Thursday's match (final): Chennai vs Dindigul, 4 p.m.

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Section  : Sport
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