WATCH - Manipur beat Bengal in Women's Senior Nationals, take early lead in Group B

MANIPUR HAVE ESTABLISHED themselves as the early leaders in Group B of the Women's Senior National Championships.

Taking on West Bengal, the other heavyweight team in the pool, they got a hard-fought 3-2 victory today, claiming the top spot on the points table.

The famed Manipuri offensive machine, led by the legendary Ngangom Bala Devi, went on the attack from early on and 17 minutes in, Bala Devi struck then net to give them the lead.

Towards the end of the first half, S Lynda Kom had doubled the lead, although just before half-time Bengal struck back through Mousumi Murmu and kept themselves in the game, trailing 2-1 at the break.

But it was Lynda Kom who restored the to goal advantage for Manipur once again, soon after the game resumed. From there, it was a question of protecting the lead and though Sangita Basfore scored for Bengal around 70 minutes in, it wasn't enough to change the result of the match.

With 6 points from 2 matches, Manipur have a sizeable lead in their quest to secure a place in the semi-finals. On Tuesday, they face Railways, and a win there will all but seal them as the undisputed favourites in the group.

For Bengal, the setback is not unexpected but a big blow nonetheless. They are now at risk of falling out of the top two position in the group and fall behind in the semi-final race. They will look for a big victory against Maharashtra in their next match to restore confidence and re-establish themselves as one of the top contenders in the tournament.

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