Post News Network
Cuttack, July 13: Sports Hostel, Bhubaneswar and East Coast Railways (ECoR) won their respective semifinals of the FAO women’s football league in contrasting styles Monday at the Bidanasi Ground here. The two teams will meet in the final Wednesday.
In the first encounter, Sports Hostel stunned pre-tournament favourites Orissa Police 3-0 via the tie-breaker after the match had ended goalless in regulation time. Sasmita Behera, Srijan Tamang and Jabamani Tudu converted the spot-kicks for the winning team.
The second semifinal turned out to be a lop-sided affair as ECoR trounced Mangala Club 6-0. The rail eves rode on a brace each by Supriya Routray (21st, 38th) and Subhadra Sahoo (48th, 63rd) to decimate the opposition. The other scorers were Jhilli Munda (24th) and Subhaprava Rout (44th penalty).
Brawl mars spirit
On-field violence between the players during a match is nothing new in the FAO men’s league, but for the first time brawl reared its ugly head in the women’s league. The unsavory incident happened during the Sports Hostel – Orissa Police game.
Twenty minutes into the second session, Sports Hostel’s goalkeeper and an opposition player were involved in a nasty collision. Players of both the sides then indulged in a free-for-all. It took some time to restore normalcy to the game. Referee Chitrambada Patra showed the red car to both the players who were involved in the clash.
