Post News Network
Cuttack, May 15: Jharkhand played out an exciting 1-1 draw against mighty Manipur in the first quarterfinal round match of Group-I at the Barabati Stadium here Friday. Eight teams have been divided into two groups with the top two from each qualifying for the semifinals.
The match was a keenly contested one. Manipur drew first blood through Th Baby in the 28th minute and they held on to the lead to go to the break 1-0 ahead.
After the change of ends, Laxmi Kumari of Jharkhand restored parity in the 58th minute with a nice individualistic effort. Both teams tried desperately to break the deadlock thereafter, but failed to do so as they missed easy opportunities.
In the second quarterfinal of the same group, Haryana drubbed Maharashtra 3-0. Haryana dominated the match completely by scoring in both the halves. Anjali opened the account in the 22nd minute and the team maintained that lead till the lemon break.
After the interval, Haryana players became more aggressive and struck twice. Renu (56th, 71st) scored a brace to finish the rout.
Hosts Orissa will meet Mizoram, while Chandigarh will face Bihar in two Group-II encounters Saturday. The Orissa-Mizoram encounter is expected to be an exciting one with both sides dishing out a good brand of football in the preliminary stages.