Rajendra Prasad Mohapatra
Bhubaneswar, Oct 20: In-form Orissa will look to break the jinx and win the under-18 title, when they meet their nemesis Manipur in the final at Margao, Wednesday. This will be a repeat of last year, a game that Orissa lost.
Orissa have had a dream run so far in this tournament. They have won all the six matches on their way to the final. In the league matches, they registered resounding victories against Chandigarh and Karnataka 10-0 and 11-0 respectively. In the quarterfinal league, they triumphed over Mizoram 3-1, scraped past Goa 2-1 and pipped Delhi 1-0. In the semifinal, Orissa spanked Bihar 4-1 to enter the final.
Striker Jasmani Samad is in the form of her life as she has scored nine goals including two hat-tricks in the tournament. Skipper Anima Mallick, Swarna Priya Nayak and Jabamani Soren have scored three goals each.
“We have a talented bunch and a balanced outfit. All the players are hard working. In fact this is the best junior team from Orissa to have played the nationals,” stated Orissa coach Gitanjali Khuntia.
“Manipur are a very strong side and they have also entered the final by remaining unbeaten. But if we play to our potential, we definitely have the chance to emerge victorious,” she added.
Talking about the strengths of her side, Gitanjali said: “Our strength is good positioning and playing with the the ball. All the players are in good form. However, striker Jasmani, midfielder Anima and defender Jabamani will be our key players,” Gitanjali added.
Revealing about their strategy skipper Anima said, “They play fast-paced football. Our strategy will be to slow down the pace and score early goals. They are strong in midfield. So we will try to utilise the flanks to open up their defence.”