Imphal, February 25: Orissa, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Delhi and Tamil Nadu completed the quarter final league round of the 13th Senior Women's National Football Championship at the end of the preliminary phase today.

Besides, Punjab, Karnataka and Goa who had already qualified for the last eight stage as respective group winners, last edition's champion Manipur, finalists West Bengal and semi finalists Bihar and Kerala are the other teams to feature in the quarter finals.

Manipur will begin its title defence campaign against Karnataka at Mapal Kangjeibung tomorrow at 12.30 pm.

While Orissa, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra won their last group matches today to cement their place in the quarters, Jharkhand and Delhi secured the berth as second best losers of the group phase with better points and goal differences respectively from their nearest opponents.

Tripura's faint chance of playing the quarter finals evaporated when Tamil Nadu recorded a solitary goal win in group E's last preliminary tie at Mapal Kangjeibung.

The only goal of the match came through V Ambiga in the 51st minute.

Tripura's loss paved the way for Delhi's entry to the last eight as a win for the North Eastern State would have fetched them six points and relegated Tamil Nadu to second place in the group who would nevertheless have reached the quarters as one of the second position finishers on better goal average.

Delhi had defeated Meghalaya 2-0 in the championship's lung opener.

On the other hand, Jharkhand reached the next stage of the championship on virtue of its 2-2 draw with Maharashtra at ESU Wangkhei ground in one of the four matches scheduled today.

Both the group D sides tied on four points each at the end of the preliminary phase with Maharashtra topping the cluster on better goal difference.

Maharashtra's Manasi Surve opened the score account with a third minute strike followed by the Tripura equaliser in the 17th minute through.

Even though, Genevieur Fernandes regained the Maharashtra led five minutes later, Mejhren Kindu ensured Jharkhand's passage restoring parity in the 56th minute.

In the other match of the day at Wangjing Kodompokpi ground, Uttar Pradesh's Punam Chauhan scored the only goal against Sikkim to open her State's point account which, however proved too little too late as Delhi enjoyed better goal average.

Compared to the low scoring ties, Orissa girls continued their winning streak with 8-1 thrashing of Haryana to collect six points from two group C matches and an automatic berth in the quarters.

Including a penalty award conversion in the 81st minute Shradhanjali Samadek tormented the rival defence to score five goals as Pinky Bompal Mogar and Luxmi Priya Sahoo chipped in with two and one goal each at Kakching Football Club ground.

In tomorrow�s second match at also Mapal Kangjeibung, Goa will take on Bihar at 2.30 pm.

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