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The participating teams seen during the opening ceremony at the KASA stadium in Diphu on Wednesday, July 17.[/caption]
Dimapur, July 17 (EMN): The first North Eastern Girls (U-19) Football Tournament kicked-off in style at the KASA stadium in Diphu on Wednesday, July 17.
The 40-minute opening ceremony was laden with enthralling performances by Karbi Anglong culture troupe with song and dance numbers, stated an update received here on Wednesday. The highlight of the display also saw 144 girls from the eight competing states of Northeast swamp the pitch.
The inaugural function was attended by Maj Gen Pradeep Nair, YSM, IG AR (North) as the chief guest, while Tuliram Ronghang, chief executive member, KAAC, Gourav Upadhyay, IPS, SP and, RupsinghTeron, executive member, KAAC also attended the function among others.
In his brief speech Maj Gen PC Nair, YSM congratulated and encouraged the players to compete in the true sportsmanship and to make the most of the exposure to make lifelong friends from all eight sister states for ensuring better awareness. He observed that Northeast has the potential and talent for football but lack of opportunities held back these potential. He added that this tournament will provide a launch pad for all the aspiring female footballers of the North East.
In the opening match, Sikkim girls began as favourites and as expected, the first goal was netted in the 8th minute by the Sikkim girls. Thereafter, for rest of the match, Sikkim girls continued to dominate the proceedings during both the halves. However, in a spectacular show of perseverance, Tripura girls came from behind to score two goals in the 88th and 90th minutes thereby clinching the match 2-1. The tournament carries a total prize money of INR 3 lakh, apart from selection of potential players for Assam Rifles team.
Today’s matches:
Manipur XI vs Meghalaya XI
Arunachal XI vs Assam XI
Nagaland XI vs Mizoram XI