A thriller to kick off our campaign in the inaugural AIFF U-17 Women’s Youth League… and what a way to begin.

Zinc Football Academy secured a hard-fought 3–2 victory over DFA Raisen in their opening Group A fixture, earning three crucial points after a dominant first half and a tense finish.

ZFA made a dream start, taking control of the game early and heading into halftime with a commanding 3–0 lead.

The breakthrough came in the 6th minute, courtesy of a beautifully crafted move. Midfielder Divya threaded a precise through ball to winger Dangi Mardi on the left flank. Dangi surged forward and delivered a perfectly weighted lofted cross into the box, where striker Sakshi Patel finished in one touch, leaving the defenders and goalkeeper with no chance.

The second goal followed from the opposite flank. Winger Joha Khan showed great awareness to keep the ball in play near the byline, preventing a goal kick, before laying it off to Rahi Patel. The midfielder whipped in a first-time looping cross that caused confusion in the box. The DFA Raisen goalkeeper misjudged the delivery, and Sakshi Patel pounced, with Antra Dolui reacting quickest to slot home the loose ball and double the lead.

ZFA’s third goal was a moment of pure individual brilliance from Antra Dolui. Receiving the ball from a throw-in just outside the penalty area with her back to goal, she turned elegantly to evade two defenders, dribbled past a couple more, and unleashed a stunning curling shot into the far corner to make it 3–0 at the break.

However, the second half told a different story.

DFA Raisen came out with renewed intent and pulled one back in the 52nd minute, as their midfielder delivered a precise long ball over ZFA’s defensive line. Their forward timed her run perfectly, controlled it in stride, and finished clinically past goalkeeper Sonam Ghosh.

The pressure continued to build, and in the 82nd minute, DFA Raisen struck again. A well-worked move down the left flank created space for a clean strike at the near post, reducing the deficit to 3–2 and setting up a nervy final phase.

The closing minutes were end-to-end, with both sides pushing hard, but ZFA held their composure to see out the game and secure all three points.

A dominant first half, a test of resilience in the second, and ultimately, a winning start to life on the national stage.