WATCH FULL MATCH -- IWL 2019 -- Samiksha strikes early as Alakhpura trump Hans Women FC
AN EARLY GOAL FROM Samiksha ensured a 1-0 win for FC Alakhpura over Hans Women FC in the inaugural match of Indian Women's League 2019 (final round).
The Group A fixture which kicked off early Sunday morning at the Guru Nanak Stadium (Ludhiana, Punjab) saw Alakhpura, the team from Haryana that has turned heads for its high success at national level, come out swinging putting pressure on the Hans defence from the first minute. Samiksha's goal came just about 17 minutes into the game .
17' GOOOOAAAAAL!!! Samiksha runs onto a pass inside the opposition area and pokes it past the keeper to score the first goal of #HeroIWL 2018-19! 💥💥
— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) May 5, 2019
FCA 1-0 HFC
📺: https://t.co/NBiIQYAajz #FCAHFC #ShePower #IndianFootball pic.twitter.com/pUFMxpdUcX
The Delhi-based Hans were forced to play catch-up from very early on in the game, which clearly caught them in an uncomfortable situation. Their defence was well-functioning, coupled with an on-form goalkeeper Vanshika Rana who made a number of good saves. They created a few good chances, mainly with long balls that unleashed forward Anushka Samuel in breakaway runs that tested the Alakhpura defence. But it was Alakhpura who maintained control over the game most of the time, with a threat of left winger Pooja Devi's speedy runs forcing Hans to keep a low back line and keep their focus on defending.
In the end, Hans failed to find a chink in Alakhpura's armour. Head coach Sanjay Singh will be glad with the 1-0 win that FC Alakhpura got, since early wins play a major role in a densely fixtured league like the IWL where fatigue may become an issue towards the end of the group stage, forcing rotation and making it harder to pick up wins.
You can watch the entire match between these two stalwart Northern sides right here, courtesy AIFF.
