ARA FC continued their winning streak in the Hero IWL Qualifiers by defeating YWC by 4-3 in the final encounter at the Ambedkar Stadium here on Tuesday. With this win, ARA FC qualified for the IWL which is set to be held in Bhubaneswar from April 15.
The side from Gujarat needed a win from the final match to secure the IWL berth. The result means that ARA FC maintains its winning streak in the qualifiers, having notched up nine points from three matches. Meanwhile, YWC did not amass any points in their last match having six points from three matches.
Shreya Oza’s early brace in the 9th and 16th minutes raised the tempo of the match, giving the upper hand to ARA FC. ARA FC continued to dominate the match but failed to make the most of their chances. In the 27th minute, however, a goal from Salam Rinaroy Devi from a distance rattled the bar and went in to break the deadlock for YWC as the half-time scoreline read 2-1 in favor of ARA FC.
YWC came out all guns blazing in the second half, and it was Hoineihat, who scored to put the side from Manipur on level terms in the 53rd minute.
It did not take ARA too long to reclaim their lead, as Anju netted a 68th-minute goal. The match came to a frantic end, as Remi Thokchom of YWC scored for her side before Kiran finally made it 4-3 for the Gujarat club in the dying minutes to ensure ARA’s victory and qualification to the IWL.
Earlier in the day, Guwahati City FC and Golazo FC played out a goalless draw at the Ambedkar Stadium, taking their respective points tallies to one each. Both sides were out of contention for Hero IWL qualification prior to this game.
