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Odisha Sports came back from behind to register a 3-1 victory over ARA FC in their Indian Women's League (IWL) opening match on Saturday.
Odisha looked composed in the first quarter of the game, enjoying a 65 per cent ball possession against ARA FC's 35 per cent. Forward Satyabati Khadia twice came close to scoring before the half-hour mark, but couldn't convert in the final third.However, it was ARA FC who found the first breakthrough when forward Anju won the ball in a dangerous area and took a glorious shot from long range to catch the rival goalkeeper by surprise.
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After switching sides, both teams pressed well, sharing an equal number of goalscoring opportunities. Odisha equalised in the 53rd minute when Satyabati's effort was converted from a close range by Pyari Xaxa to make it 1-1.
In the 65th minute, Odisha Sports brought on Malati Munda to replace Subhadra Sahoo. In the 75th minute, they came close to taking the lead when Satyabati delivered a delightful cross to Pyari Xaxa in the box only for the forward to shoot it agonizingly wide off the crossbar.
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However, in the 79th minute, Pyari made amends to put Odisha Sports in the lead. The forward penetrated through the ARA FC defence and plunged a shot past goalkeeper Poonam to make it 2-1.
Jasoda Munda went on to make it 3-1 with a cool-headed finish in added time to seal the fate of the match.