Far away from their base in Bhubaneswar,Odisha FC Womentook a confident step towards the first-ever AFC Womenâs Champions League in the Jordanian industrial town of Zarqa.They stamped their authority as contenders for top spot from Group B, when they routed SingaporeâsLion City Sailors4-1 in their first game of the preliminary stage at Prince Mohammed Stadium late on Sunday.With just the top-placed team winning a place in the finals, the dominant victory set Odisha up nicely for their concluding tie against local side Etihad Club on Saturday, with the Jordanian side to meet the wounded Lion City Sailors on Wednesday in the three-team group.It wasLynda Komwho shone the most for the Crispin Chhetri-coached side with a brace between two own goals by the Singapore club.âItâs unfortunate that sheâs not part of the national team,â Odisha head coach Chhetri told TOI from Jordan. âHer goals might not be extraordinary, but she can sniff a goal like a perfect poacher.âOdisha gradually seized control of what looked like a tightly-contested affair in the opening minutes and took the lead in the 20th minute through an own goal by Lion Cityâs Dorcas Chu.However, they came back fighting and equalised in the closing seconds of the first half through Raeka Ee to leave the match poised at 1-1 heading into the break.After a slow start to the second half, the game came alive just before the hour mark as Kom showed her quality in making the most of Lion Cityâs defensive errors with strikes in the 54th and 57th minutes, beforeSyazwani Ruziconceded an own goal in the 88th minute to help Odisha complete the win in style.âWe didnât start well yesterday (Sunday) because of the long travel. But in the second half, we played a lot better,â Chhetri said of his teamâs performance.But he stressed the importance of the match on Saturday â a win in which could earn them a place in the group stage of the inaugural AFC competition.âItâs going to be one of the most important matches for the club. It can get us a chance to play with the elite womenâs clubs in Asia and itâs through games like that we can assess our true place among the top continental teams,â the coach added.Chhetri also played down the injury thatPyari Xaxasustained during the game but said the final call will be taken only after more examination.
