Narainpur, April 22 Sports Authority of India (SAI) moved into the quarterfinals of the Swami Vivekananda U20 Men's National Football Championship (NFC) from Group G after they played out a goalless draw against Goa at the Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama Ground on Tuesday. In the other match of Group G, Assam beat Odisha 2-1.
SAI finished the Group G campaign with seven points from three matches and will meet the winners of Group H in the quarterfinals on Friday (April 25, 2025). Goa came second in the group with five points, followed by Assam (three points) and Odisha (one point).
In a well-contested match, SAI, who needed a draw to make the last eight, enjoyed the upper hand in attacks, but could not break a resolute Goa defence, especially the goalkeeper Reihan Gomes. The Goa custodian thwarted the SAI attackers with a few fine saves.
Goa needed a win to qualify, but they failed to create enough chances in the SAI goalmouth despite desperate attempts in the second half.
Assam took a firm grip over the match in the first half, scoring twice through Ashish Chetry. The striker opened the scoring in the 13th minute when he grabbed the ball inside the box to find the target with a low shot. His second goal in the 38th minute was a perfect right-footer that packed into the net.
Odisha pulled one back in the 79th minute when Assam defender Fulung Brahma accidentally put the ball in his own net while trying to head it out of danger from inside the box.
Earlier on Sunday, the Sports Authority of India defeated Odisha 3-0 on the second matchday of Group G in the Swami Vivekananda U20 Men's National Football Championship. In the other match, Goa beat Assam 2-1. SAI are now placed at the top in Group G with six points, followed by Goa with four points and Odisha with one, while Assam are yet to grab any. Only the group winners will book their place in the quarter-final.
Wednesday's fixtures (Group H):
7:30 am — West Bengal vs Madhya Pradesh
4:15 pm – Nagaland vs Haryana
The matches will be streamed live on the Indian Football YouTube Channel.
--IANS
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