Victorious starts for Sikkim and Uttar Pradesh in Swami Vivekananda U20 Men's NFC

Narayanpur(Chhattisgarh) [India] May 11 : Sikkim and Uttar Pradesh made winning starts to their Swami Vivekananda U20 Men's National Football Championship campaign in Group C at the Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama Ground on Sunday, May 11, 2025, as per a release from the All India Football Federation.

Sikkim beat Ladakh 3-1 before Uttar Pradesh edged past Punjab 1-0. Manipur, who will play their first match on Tuesday, are the other team in the five-team Group C. Only the group winner will progress to the quarter-final.

Ladakh 1 (Imran Ali Khan 45+4')

lost to

Sikkim 3 (Jigmet Nurboo 19' og, Deepjay Sharma 66', Choden Lepcha 76')

The scores were level at the break as Sikkim's lead via Jigmet Nurboo's 19th-minute own goal was cancelled out by Imran Ali Khan at the stroke of half-time. But Sikkim overpowered the union territory side in the second half as goals by Deepjay Sharma in the 66th minute and Choden Lepcha in the 76th secured a convincing win.

Uttar Pradesh 1 (Pravesh Kumar 69')

beat

Punjab 0

After a goalless first half, Pravesh Kumar broke the deadlock in the 69th minute, which proved enough for Uttar Pradesh to notch all three points.

A total of 36 teams were split into eight groups (four groups with five teams each and four groups with four teams each). Delhi are the defending champions after winning the inaugural edition in May 2024 in Narainpur, Chhattisgarh.

All the quarter-finalists of the 2024 tournament - Delhi, Karnataka, Manipur, Mizoram, West Bengal, Telangana, Kerala and Assam - were placed in Pot 1, while the remaining 28 participants were placed in Pot 2 before the draw.

The eight group winners will progress to the quarter-finals.

Group A - Kerala, Jammu & Kashmir, Meghalaya, Bihar, Rajasthan

Group B - Karnataka, Andaman & Nicobar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu

Group C - Manipur, Sikkim, Ladakh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh

Group D - Mizoram, Jharkhand, Tripura, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh

Group E - Telangana, Chandigarh, Pondicherry, Uttarakhand

Group F - Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, DNH & DD

Group G - Assam, Odisha, Goa, SAI

Group H - West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Nagaland, Haryana.

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