Odisha FC registered a resounding 6-0 win over CRPF FC in their opening match of the Indian Women’s League season, in Ahmedabad.

The victors made their first breakthrough in the 20th minute, when Ngangom Bala Devi provided a defence-splitting pass, which resulted in Dangmei Grace heading home to give her side a 1-0 lead.

There was no stopping Odisha after that as they took complete charge and used the width of the pitch to produce a good passing brand of football. Barely 10 minuts later, Odisha FC doubled their lead when Juli Kishan’s perfect cross inside the box from the left flank was squared off by Cynthia Marcondes.

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Before heading into the break, Bala Devi and Co found the back of the net twice more to take the game further away from CRPF’s reach. Ghanaian forward Faustina Worwornyo Akpo was the first to react on a loose ball inside the box as she slotted it home to make it 3-0, before Serto Lynda Kom tapped home the fourth goal in the additional time.

In the 65th minute, the Odisha skipper claimed the reward for her sheer quality throughout the game. The No 10 received the ball just outside the box, took a peek at goal to spot the CRPF goalkeeper off the line and struck well into the top left corner.

Minutes later, Jasoda Munda put the game to bed by adding the sixth goal after she was left unmarked inside the box. Once again, it was Bala Devi’s dummy move that baffled the CRPF defence. The scoreline remained till the final whistle as Odisha marked a solid start to their Hero IWL campaign.

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Good start for Lords FC

Elsewhere in Group B, Lords FA picked up a massive 4-0 win over Celtic Queens FC at the Shahibaug Police Stadium. The Kochi-based side had four different goalscorers in the morning, with Arya More, Dipika, Sasmita Behera and Akanksha Kandalkar all getting onto the scoresheet. The team was in its element as they started off their IWL campaign with a resounding win, clearly a warning for other teams.

In the other match of the day, Eastern Sporting Union edged Kickstart FC 1-0. Moirangthem Mandakini Devi’s first half strike was enough for the Manipuri side to down their Karnataka counterpart and grab the three points.