Narainpur (Chhattisgarh) [India], May 17 : Mizoram and Maharashtra won their respective Group D matches of the Swami Vivekananda Men's U20 National Football Championship against Himachal Pradesh and Jharkhand, at the Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama Ground, according to the official website of AIFF.
While Mizoram demolished Himachal Pradesh 8-0 in the morning, Maharashtra defeated Jharkhand 4-1.
Mizoram earned a major victory against Himachal.
Joel Lalramengmawia (43', 51', 54' p, 61') was the star of the show, netting half of Mizoram's goals, while Mesak C Lalrinngheta (46'), Ngurthanmawia (75'), John Lalrinawma (80'), and Stephen Ngurchhuanmawia (88' p) scored one each.
Maharashtra defeated Jharkhand 4-1 to maintain their challenge for the top spot in Group D. All the goals came in the second half.
Niranjan Gaikwad (48', 80', 90+4') scored a hat-trick, to keep his side in the hunt for a semi-final spot. While Jharkhand had momentarily equalised through Krishna Hembrom (68'), they would soon find themselves behind again, as Gaikwad continued his scoring form. Arhev Jodhwani (90+3') added one more in injury time to wrap up the three points for Maharashtra.
The top three sides in the group - Mizoram, Tripura, and Maharashtra - are locked on six points each, though Maharashtra have played three matches, one more than the other two. Only the top team will make it to the semi-finals.
Sikkim will face Uttar Pradesh, and Ladakh will take on Manipur on Saturday.
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