AIFF Media Team

NARAINPUR, CHHATTISGARH: Nita Football Academy and HOPS FC completed the semi-final line-up in the AIFF U17 Women’s Youth League after dishing out solid second-half performances in their quarter-final victories at the RKM Football Academy in Narainpur, Chhattisgarh on Saturday, July 25, 2026.

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. HOPS FC's 3-2 win over Kickstart FC in the afternoon was a rollercoaster of a contest, with both teams cancelling each other out until the Delhi outfit landed two killer blows late on to seal their spot in the last four.

The semi-finals will take place on Monday, July 27. Nita FA will meet Zinc Football Academy at 08:30, before HOPS FC take on Garhwal United FC at 15:00. Both matches will be streamed live on the Indian Football YouTube Channel.

Nita Football Academy 3 (Deepika Kumari 4’, 87’, Khundongbam Ambalika 70’)
defeated
Sethu FC 1 (Moumita Majhi 15’)

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 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.

HOPS FC 3 (Mansi Sonkar 10’, Divya 76’, Ranjita Hembrom 78’)
defeated
Kickstart FC 2 (Yashica H 39, 45+1’)

In a match where both sides exchanged blows from set pieces and penalty box chaos, Kickstart FC headed into the break with a surprise 2-1 lead against a HOPS FC side who hadn't conceded any goals in the group stage. However, the Delhi side proved their mettle in the second half, weaponising on their dead ball strategy to carve out a 3-2 victory and secure the semi-final spot.

HOPS struck first from open play in the 10th minute through forward Mansi Sonkar who slotted home clinically into the bottom-right corner. The chance came after defender Sanjana P Nair failed to clear Divya's cross into the six-yard box from the left. An unmarked Mansi was the quickest to react and score.

In response, Kickstart FC threw numbers forward in a desperate search of an equaliser. The Karnataka outfit pinned HOPS into their own half, constantly testing the Delhi side’s backline and custodian Sonam through a few attacks down the left flank and multiple long-range efforts.

Kickstart’s persistent pressure finally bore fruit through two late first-half set-pieces. Captain Yashica was at the heart of both.

First, she cleanly and calmly headed in Derrin Treesa Sumesh's corner from the right at the 39th-minute mark. Then in stoppage time, Mansi's foul on Divya Choudhary handed Kickstart a free-kick, right outside the edge of the box. Yashica delivered in style, dipping it over the wall and under the crossbar, beyond the outstretched gloves of Sonam to secure her brace and turn the game around at 2-1.

Fuelled to weave a comeback, HOPS stormed out with newfound fire for the second half. The tide finally turned in their favour when they scored twice between the 76th and 78th minutes to complete their remarkable turnaround, one which proved to be the match winner and left Kickstart shellshocked.

Sonia’s looping free-kick from the left grazed the goalkeeper Shelna Maria Sajit‘s gloves and fell loose in the six-yard area. As a horde of HOPS attackers charged towards it, the ball fell free for Divya to tap in from point-blank range and level the match at 2-2. 

The decisive blow landed just two minutes later, when Divya delivered a dangerous corner into the six-yard box, forcing Shelna to punch it away. But the clearance fell into the path of defender Ranjita Hembrom, who blasted a first-time shot into the goal from 20 yards out to secure a sensational 3-2 win for HOPS.