Nagaland Starts Strong in Group H of Swami Vivekananda U20 Men's NFC
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Narainpur (Chhattisgarh), April 19 (NationPress) Nagaland triumphed over Madhya Pradesh with a score of 4-2 during the inaugural day of Group H contests in the Swami Vivekananda U20 Men's National Football Championship held at the Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama Ground this past Saturday.
In the day's other matchup, Bengal and Haryana ended in a 2-2 stalemate. Currently, Nagaland sits atop Group H with three points, while Bengal and Haryana each hold one point, and Madhya Pradesh remains at zero. Only the group leader will advance to the quarter-finals.
Nagaland forward S. Ayenmongba opened the scoring just two minutes into the match. K. Arap Konyak extended Nagaland's advantage with a header from within the box at the 36-minute mark.
Mohammad Yaseer and Rohit Yadav each netted a goal in the 41st and 43rd minutes, respectively, leveling the match for Madhya Pradesh before halftime. It wasn't until the 89th minute that Nagaland regained the lead through a penalty by Ayenmongba.
Ghuqhe Chishi sealed Madhya Pradesh's fate with a stunning left-footed shot from inside the box in the 96th minute, concluding the match.
Anni opened the scoring for Haryana in the 33rd minute with a simple tap-in from a pass by captain Yaman Sheoran. Bengal's Santanu Naskar equalized in the 50th minute, followed by forward Irfan Sardar putting them ahead in the 60th minute with a skillful solo run. Haryana defender Sanjay scored a header from a corner in the 73rd minute, securing a draw for his team.
On Friday, the Sports Authority of India defeated Assam 4-0 on the opening day of Group G in the Swami Vivekananda U20 Men's National Football Championship. Another match saw Odisha and Goa play to a goalless draw. Consequently, the Sports Authority of India leads Group G with three points, while Odisha and Goa have one point each, and Assam is at the bottom with none. Only the group winner will secure a place in the quarter-finals.
Upcoming fixtures for Sunday (Group H):
7:30 am — Sports Authority of India vs Odisha
4:15 pm – Goa vs Assam
The matches will be streamed live on the Indian Football YouTube Channel.