Nagaland off to flier in Group H of Swami Vivekananda U20 Men's NFC

Narainpur (Chhattisgarh), April 19 (IANS) Nagaland defeated Madhya Pradesh 4-2 on the opening day of Group H matches in the Swami Vivekananda U20 Men's National Football Championship at the Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama Ground here on Saturday.

In the other match of the day, Bengal and Haryana drew 2-2. Nagaland are placed at the top in Group H with three points, followed by Bengal and Haryana with one each, and Madhya Pradesh with none. Only the group winner will qualify for the quarter-finals.

Nagaland forward S. Ayenmongba gave his side an early lead in the second minute. K. Arap Konyak doubled Nagaland’s lead with a header from inside the box in the 36th minute.

Mohammad Yaseer and Rohit Yadav scored a goal each in the 41st and 43rd minutes, respectively, to bring Madhya Pradesh back on level terms before the end of the first half. It was only in the 89th minute that Nagaland retook the lead thanks to Ayenmongba's penalty.

Ghuqhe Chishi hammered the last nail in Madhya Pradesh's coffin as he scored a left-footed curler from inside the box in the 96th minute to end the game.

Anni scored first for Haryana in the 33rd minute with a tap-in, off an assist from captain Yaman Sheoran. Bengal’s Santanu Naskar restored parity in the 50th minute before forward Irfan Sardar put them ahead in the 60th minute with a well-dribbled solo effort. Haryana defender Sanjay, in the 73rd minute, scored a header from a loose ball off a corner and secured a point for his side.

Earlier on Friday, the Sports Authority of India beat Assam 4-0 on the opening day of Group G in the Swami Vivekananda U20 Men's National Football Championship. In the other match, Odisha and Goa played out a goalless draw. As a result, Sports Authority of India are now at the top in Group G with three points, followed by Odisha and Goa with one each, and Assam with none. Only the group winner will book their place in the quarter-final.

Sunday's Fixtures (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.

--IANS

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