Bhubaneswar: Nita Football Academy (NFA) entered the semifinals of the AIFF U17 Women’s Youth League after dishing out solid second-half performances in their quarter-final victories against Sethu FC at the RKM Football Academy in Narainpur, Chhattisgarh on Saturday. In the semifinals on Monday, NFA will face Zinc Football Academy.

Nita FA kicked off the day with a 3-1 win against Sethu FC. After losing their early lead to a fighting Sethu side, Nita rallied back in the second half through Khundongbam Ambalika's set-piece strike and a late goal from Deepika Kumari.

Nita FA had scored for fun in the group stage, with 15 goals in three games, but endured a testing first half against a Sethu FC side determined to take the game to the Cuttack side. Nita's early opener was cancelled out quickly enough and it wasn't until the 70th minute when they finally restored their advantage and marched towards victory. Their attacking superiority ultimately proving too much for Sethu.

Coming out strong, the Odisha outfit struck early through forward Deepika Kumari in the fourth minute. A Lipi Kishan cross from the right wing went above the head of Sethu’s Reedima Pahan. Deepika gathered the bouncing ball in the middle, outmanoeuvred her markers before coolly guiding a left-footed finish into the far bottom corner.

Boosted by the opener, Nita stayed on the front foot, restricting Sethu mainly to defensive duties. Yet, the Tamil Nadu outfit equalised at the 15th-minute mark. Intercepting a pass from Khundongbam Ambalika in midfield, T Steffi slid a quick ball forward to Moumita Majhi, who surged ahead and placed a delightful left-footed finish over the closing Nita goalkeeper Alisha Majhi.

The remainder of the first half was defined by a gritty midfield tussle, with Nita probing for a second but not able to break Sethu before the interval.

However, the Tamil Nadu outfit’s attacking substitutions in the second half forced Nita to stay in a deep defensive shell. The latter conceded a string of free-kicks, only for Sethu to repeatedly miss their attempts.

Yet against the tide of pressure, Nita snatched the lead back in the 70th minute through Ambalika. The defender curled a fine free-kick over the wall and into the near post, bouncing past Sethu goalkeeper Hritiika Pahan.

Back in front, a renewed Nita went on to put the game to bed in the 87th minute. Pressurised by Laxmi, Sethu defender Ishwarya lost the ball to Deepika on the left. Khushboo too failed to clear the danger, allowing Deepika space to fire a hard right-footed shot from outside the box. It bounced in front of Hritiika, who let the ball graze her gloves and go into the net.