A thrilling morning in Narainpur… and a historic step forward for our Zinc Football Academy.

Our young ZFA girls edged past hosts RKM Football Academy with a hard-fought 3–2 victory to book their place in the semi-finals of the inaugural AIFF U-17 Women’s Youth League.

ZFA started on the front foot, showing attacking intent right from the first whistle. The in-form partnership of Antra Dolui and Dangi Mardi once again proved decisive, combining beautifully to open the scoring as early as the 5th minute. Dangi delivered a sharp first-time cross from the left flank, finding Antra inside the box, who controlled it well and finished calmly to give ZFA the lead.

The hosts responded in the 25th minute, capitalising on a set-piece situation to bring the game level at 1–1. The scoreline remained unchanged heading into halftime.

ZFA came out strong in the second half and regained the lead in the 51st minute. A perfectly weighted through ball from Antra split the defense, allowing Sakshi Patel to run through and finish beautifully past the goalkeeper.

Momentum firmly with ZFA, Antra struck again just minutes later. In the 55th minute, she showcased her composure and skill inside the box… faking a shot to deceive the defender before creating space and finishing clinically to make it 3–1.

RKM FA, backed by home support, refused to back down. They pulled one back in the 73rd minute through a direct free-kick, setting up a tense final quarter of the match.

Both sides created chances in an end-to-end battle, but neither could add to the scoreline. Our girls held firm under pressure to secure a memorable victory.

With this win, ZFA marches into the semi-finals, continuing our impressive run in the competition. We will now face the winner of Nita FA vs Sethu FC on 27th July (Monday), with a place in the final at stake.