Odisha take on Manipur in Junior Girls NFC final today

Cuttack: Odisha and defending champions Manipur will lock horn in the final of the Junior Girls National Football Championship at Barabati Stadium here today.

Odisha thumped West Bengal in a one sided semi final by an unassailable margin of 3-0 on August 8 while in the other semis Manipur edged past Delhi 2-1.

Hosts Odisha are still undefeated in the championship and look to stop the north-eastern side from retaining the title. The highlanders had won the title last year after winning the finals by 4-1 against Haryana.

Odisha took off with a pulsating start hammering Himachal Pradesh 7-0 and then crushed Gujarat 5-1 in the second league match. It eased into the semis after defeating strong Maharashtra with a 4-1 win in the quarter finals.

The fortnight long sporting event organised by Football Association of Odisha kicked off on July 26 and featured teams from 27 states.