IWL: Odisha Police register narrow win over Mata Rukmani FC

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], April 21 (ANI): Odisha Police eked out a 1-0 win against Mata Rukmani in their second match of the Indian Women’s League 2022 played at the 7th Battalion Ground.
Odisha Police earned an early free-kick in the 5th minute as Sarojini Tirkey drew a foul in a dangerous area. However, the local club couldn’t capitalize on the free kick. Subsequently, in the 17th minute, Arati Khadia found an opportunity to score as she cut in from the left flank. Unfortunately, her attempt at goal missed the frame by a whisker.
At the other end, Mata Rukmani too had a chance to take the lead before half-time, but forward Priyanka Kashyap hit the side netting as the scoreline remained 0-0.
After the restart, Sarojini Tirkey again found herself in a goal-scoring position. This time, she completely missed the target. Odisha Police looked quite composed in the second half and found some good breakthroughs. In the 72nd minute, they almost took the lead when Jharana Mallik attempted a cross from the right flank.
To everyone’s surprise, the ball looked certain to end up in the net but was halted in its tracks by the crossbar. Mata Rukmani defenders were quick to react and cleared the ball as soon as it dropped to the ground.
Finally, Odisha Police’s efforts paid off in the 84th minute when substitute Jasmani Samad found the target from inside the box to give her side the lead. Mata Rukmani made a double substitution in an attempt to score the equalizer but to no avail. The referee blew the full-time whistle as the game ended 1-0 in Odisha Police’s favour. (ANI)