IWL 2022: Indian Arrows breeze past Odisha Police as Apurna Narzary stars with a hat-trick

Coming into the game after a heavy defeat against Sethu FC in their previous game, Indian Arrows put on a clinical display against struggling Odisha Police in the Indian Women's League at the Capital Ground in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.

Right from the first whistle, the Indian Arrows had the upper hand on Odisha Police. They pinned down the local club and carved out some early opportunities. The first clear chance of the game fell to Shanmugapriya S of the Arrows in the 10th minute. She was through on goal after a couple of deflections before Sinulata Sahoo stepped in with a crucial block.

However, in a matter of minutes, Odisha Police FC's low-block was trumped by the Arrows' forward line. In the 13th minute, Amisha Baxla made a darting run down the right and her low cross was spilled by ODP custodian Sanjukta Tirkey. Forward Apurna Narzary was the quickest to react and tucked the ball home with ease.

More misery for Odisha's side followed as the AIFF developmental side scored again in the 19th minute. Apurna Narzary bagged her second goal of the night after a shot from Shanmugapriya hit the crossbar and the rebound fell kindly for her. The 18-year-old had put the Arrows comfortably ahead but their hunger for goals was far from over.

Minutes after the drinks break, Indian Arrows scored again in the 36th minute, this time through Sunita Munda. She did well to be the first to reach a cross from Shanmugapriya and roll it below the opposition goalkeeper.

Coming out after the half-time break, the developmental team kept knocking at the door. Forward Muskan Subba had an opportunity in the 54th minute when she jinked past her marker into the box. However, her curling effort slammed into the crossbar.

Arrows head coach Suren Chhetri made multiple personnel changes with the three-goal lead intact. Although that took a bit away from their firepower, the young brigade still looked in complete control.

In the 76th minute, ARW were rewarded for their persistence. Apurna Narzary received the ball on the right inside the opposition box. From an acute angle, Narzary unleashed a lopping effort that glided over the keeper's head into the back of the net to complete her hat-trick.

Meanwhile, in another one of Wednesday's games, Odisha Sports slammed Sirvodem SC 9-1, with Pyari Xaxa netting a clinical hat-trick. With the victory, both the Indian Arrows and Odisha Sports are equal on seven points in the points table.