Goalless Rajasthan end campaign with another defeat

Jaipur: There is a lot to introspect for the Rajasthan senior women's team. In their last Group E match, the hosts lost to Uttarakhand 5-0 to finish their campaign with three humiliating outings in the 29th Senior Women's National Football Championship for Rajmata Jijabai Trophy 2024-25 at the Vidhyadhar Nagar Stadium here on Thursday. The team, coached by Chandrakala Rav, were goalless in the entire tournament.
It was Anjali Chhetri (9') who opened the scoring for Uttarakhand in the first half, before forward Mitali Melwal's (50', 65', 73', 90+4') four second-half goals to help the team register a commanding victory.
In the other match, Punjab secured their spot in the final rounds after playing a 1-1 draw against Chhattisgarh. Needing a win to top the group, Chhattisgarh took the lead early in the second half with Hina Nirmalkar's (50') strike. Punjab took no time in levelling the score as substitute Harmilan Kaur struck in the 59th minute. While both teams finished their Group E matches with seven points apiece, Punjab, with a higher goal difference, made the cut. tnn