New Delhi, Jan 16: Odisha Football Club registered their first win of the Indian Women’s League (IWL) this season, beating HOPS FC 2-0 at the Ambedkar Stadium here on Thursday.
Lynda Kom’s (66th minutes) second goal in two games and Jennifer Yeboah’s (84th) first finished off a HOPS side, which has now suffered two defeats in a row at home.
Odisha’s young squad, devoid of the star names of previous seasons, had laboured for a point against Gokulam Kerala in their opener.
In another match of the day played in Chennai, Nita FA staged a remarkable comeback to secure a 2-2 draw against Sethu FC.
P Malavika’s brace (12th and 16th minutes) put Sethu FC 2-0 ahead early in the match.
However, Gifty Acheampong (27th) and Jabamani Tudu (74th) scored on either side of half-time to help Nita FA share the spoils with Sethu FC, who were down to 10 players late in injury time.
Sethu’s K Ngopawdi was sent off in the 91st minute after receiving her second yellow card.
The draw meant both Sethu FC and Nita FA remain unbeaten in the league. After two matches, Nita FA and Sethu FC are third and fourth respectively in the points table.
Meanwhile in New Delhi, up against HOPS, who had faced a tough loss to Nita FA, Odisha needed time till the 23rd minute to come up with the first real shot at goal. And, when it came, it was a weak long-range effort by Kiran Pisda, saved easily by Priti Sarkar.
Odisha’s build-up play was brilliant, especially when they passed the ball in midfield, with Lynda Kom, Kajol Dsouza and Grace Lalrampari linking up in triangles at every available opportunity.
Their inability to find a pass in the final third let them down.
HOPS played their part well, defending in numbers and also conjuring up half chances on the counter when they could. They never really put Shreya Hooda to the test, the closest chance being a Gladys Amfobea volley from a corner, flying wide.
Odisha coach Crispin Chettri decided to shake things up in the second half, and introduced new signing Kashmina in the midfield. The midfielder brought greater urgency to their play almost immediately.
Pisda and Yeboah spurned great chances just after the hour mark, the latter in particular drawing a sharp save from Sarkar having been played in by a brilliant Kajol through ball.
The constant pressure bore fruit in the 66th minute, when Kom gave them the lead. Played in by Kashmina’s delicate lob from the edge of the box, the forward smashed it first time on the bounce into the roof of the net.
Yeboah doubled the lead in the 84th minute, a long ball from Kajol setting her up for a one-on-one with Sarkar.
She smartly lobbed the ball past the goalkeeper with a first-time touch, celebrating even as the ball gently rolled into the net. (PTI)
