Tamil Eelam secured a historic win against Székely Land Le at the CONIFA Women's World Cup. 

Matchday two of the CONIFA Women's World Cup saw Tamil Eelam play two games at Morkvedlia Idrettspark. The first game saw Tamil Eelam against tournament hosts FA Sapmi. The first half was physical with both teams unable to break the deadlock. The second half saw goals for FA Sampi with the game ending 0-2. 

Tamil Eelam's second game took place under the midnight sun against Szekely Land, which saw them victorious, winning the game by 1 goal. This was the second encounter between the teams, the first game finished 2-2. 

Tamil Eelam lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Dilaxsika spearheading the attack once again. Mathini captained the team with Melanie and Ovia anchoring the midfield in a double pivot. The game got underway at Morkvedlia Idrettspark, with Tamil Eelam kicking off. The first opportunity for Székely Land was just seconds into the game, a shot from outside the box trickling wide of the post past Sara, the Tamil Eelam goalkeeper.

The game continued with high intensity, both teams were unable to control the tempo. Ovia picked up a yellow card in the 4th minute. Székely Land had another half chance in the 7th minute, with a low cross coming in from the left flank. Shortly followed by a shot from outside the box by Preethi, playing in the attacking midfield role. Minutes later, another chance for TE. Preethi played it wide to Rahavi on the left who ran with the ball into the box and took a shot which was saved by the Székely Land goalkeeper. Halfway through the first half, Tamil Eelam GK Sara saved well from a freekick taken from the right side of the box.   

As the end of the first half approached, Preethi played a great lob pass to Dilaxsika for a golden opportunity to put Tamil Eelam ahead. Dilaxsika managed to dribble around the goalkeeper but the ball rolled agonisingly past the post before she could tap the ball into the empty net.

Székely Land started the second half, which followed a similar pattern to the first half. Both teams fighting well for the ball. Early in the second half, Kopikia was subbed off, her replacement Briththeka came on to freshen up the attack. Sara had to make another save by coming off her line to claim a through ball in the 58th minute. Taking a knock in the process.

Rahavi, an intelligent and industrious player, took a shot from outside the box, which went wide. In the 66th minute, there was a nice exchange of passes from Rahavi, Melanie, Preethi and Dilaxsika. Unfortunately, the move did not create a chance. However, the belief amongst the Tamil Eelam players that they can win this game became evident. Minutes later, Kopi came off and Dayaniah took to the field.

In the 80th minute, Preethi intercepted a pass and played a one-two with Dilaxsika. Preethi managed to pull back a cross to Dilaxsika. Having scored two goals in the first game, this was another chance to add to her tally. The number 9 placed the shot just wide of the post. Dayaniah did not manage to score from the rebound either.   

Székely Land created a fair number of half-chances themselves but were not clinical. Tamil Eelam showed great energy in their press and showed technical quality, which gave them the edge over Székely Land. Tamil Eelam won a number of free kicks in good areas but did not manage to pose a threat. Mathini and Maya formed a strong partnership at the centre of the defence. They were flanked by Tharse and Kopi playing left-back and right-back, respectively. The right-winger Kopika provided width and showed great versatility by playing in a couple of attacking positions.

As the game approached the end, TE created another chance with minutes to go. Ovia picked up the ball in midfield and played a pass to Dayaniah who made a run infield from the right. She played a pass into Dilaxsika who set the ball for Dayaniah to take a first-time shot. Dayaniah found the bottom corner and Tamil Eelam managed to break the deadlock!

A final substitution for Tamil Eelam, the team focussed on closing out the game. The referee blew the final whistle tand wild celebrations erupted amongst the TE players and staff. This is Tamil Eelam Women’s first victory.

Tamil Eelam vs Szekely Land LE photos by Nicholas Noreng.