Bengal although ensuring a berth in the semi-final of the ongoing women’s senior national championship, had to split points playing out a goalless draw against spirited Chandigarh on Friday at Kishore Bharati Stadium. 

Chandigarh were resolute at the back, with the hope of not returning empty-handed from the final round, Bengal were guilty of being wasteful in the final third too. 

They came close on two occasions in the first 45 minutes - when Chandigarh custodian Nandini almost spilled Sangita Basfore's free-kick into her own net before gathering it on the second attempt, and when Mousumi Murmi's left-footed strike flashed millimetres off the top corner deep in added time.

Bengal kept hunting for the opener after the break and pushed Chandigarh deeper into their own half. Nandini was also made to work more - she held firmly onto Bengal substitute Rimpa Haldar's side-footed shot from close range. In the 73rd minute, Bengal put the ball in the net but the goal did not count due to a foul on Nandini. 

As the Chandigarh goalkeeper leapt to catch Poonam Sharma's cross, she was tripped by Murmu before Anibala Devi slotted into the empty net. 

However, referee Ranjita Devi had already whistled for the foul by then. A couple of minutes later, Nandini made a good stop to deny Sulanjana Raul.

Bengal's frustrations soared every minute, but the Chandigarh backline was not ready to give an inch. And the one time they did, the hosts fluffed their chance. 

Sathi Debnath went on a surging run through the middle, cutting past a few Chandigarh shirts before getting a clear sight of the goal, but she could only strike wide. 

In the end, Bengal breathed a sigh of relief as the point proved enough to take them through, while celebrations broke out in the Chandigarh camp after a mighty defensive display which saw them finally take a point from their last match.

However, Tamil Nadu comprehensively emerged as toppers with a 4-0 win over Punjab at the Bidhannagar Municipal Ground. Tamil Nadu finished the group with 13 points, while Bengal and Railways ended with 10 points each. However, Bengal's 3-1 win over Railways on Wednesday meant that the hosts bagged second place due to a better head-to-head record.

Both teams will know their semi-final opponents on Saturday. Tamil Nadu will face Group B runners-up (either Manipur or Haryana or Odisha) in the semi-finals, while Bengal will play the toppers (either Manipur or Haryana). The semi-finals will be held on Monday, 13th May.