Imphal, March 3: Manipur Police Sports Club made it to the final with a solitary goal win over North Eastern Re- Organisation and Cultural Association in the 2nd Lamyanba Hijam Irawat Invitation Football Tournament at Eastern Shine Public Ground, Moreh.
Both the teams sweated it out in the humid conditions, searching for the goal, but success remained elusive.
Manipur Police got some opportunities to effect a breakthrough, but failed to capitalise on them.
With just a minute to go for the first half whistle, Manipur Police Sports Club got the much-needed breakthrough as forward I. Nilakumar Singh rammed his way into the penalty box to take a goalmouth shot which ruffled the net in the second minute of the first injury time.
Down by a goal, the North Eastern Re-Organisation team found the going tough in the second half as the Manipur Police side consolidated their defence and had to bow out of the game.
With the win, Manipur Police Sports Club will clash with Tiddim Road Unique Gamy Players’ Union in the final tomorrow.
Women’s football
Manipur will take on Jharkhand in the opening match of the 18th Senior Women’s National Football Championship at Khuman Lampak Main Stadium here on Sunday.
The championship has been clustered into eight groups.
Manipur, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand have been placed in cluster one, while Orissa, Karnataka and Rajasthan are in cluster two. West Bengal, Maharastra and Puducherry have been grouped in cluster three, while Tamil Nadu, Meghalaya and Uttar Pradesh make up cluster four. Goa, Delhi and Kerala are in cluster five, while Haryana, Andhra Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir are in cluster six. Assam, Bihar and Chandigarh make up cluster seven, while Punjab, Tripura and Chattisgarh comprise cluster eight.