Narainpur, April 23 Nagaland made the quarterfinals of the Swami Vivekananda U20 Men's National Football Championship from Group H after a 2-2 draw against Haryana at the Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama Ground here on Wednesday.
In the other match of Group H, Bengal defeated Madhya Pradesh 3-0, but still finished third in the group with four points. While Haryana stood second with five points, Nagaland collected seven to top the table. They will cross swords with Group G winners Sports Authority of India (SAI) in the quarter-final on Friday (April 25, 2025).
Knowing well that only a win could take them to the last eight, Haryana looked a determined lot from the beginning but went into arrears in the 14th minute when Nagaland’s K. Arap Konyak quickly ran past his marker to beat an advancing goalkeeper.
The spadework was done by midfielder Pulovi, who grabbed the ball in the middle and dribbled past a couple of defenders before sending a defence-splitting through pass. Haryana hit back in the 30th minute when Yaman Sheoran took advantage of a defensive lapse to find the target.
The next two goals came at the fag end of the match. Nagaland took the lead in the 87th minute thanks to Arap Konyak’s second goal of the day, a header to the corner of the net. Haryana once again restored parity through an ever-agile Yaman, but it wasn’t enough to reach the desired target.
Former champions Bengal took control of the match right from the beginning and opened the scoring in the 11th minute when Jeet Shikari found the target with a swift header.
Madhya Pradesh, which held on grimly in the first half, caved in early in the second and conceded two goals in quick succession. Santanu Naskar made it 2-0 in the 54th minute when he headed in a Romin Goldar cross. Four minutes later, midfielder Miraj Mullick slammed in a fine left-footer from distance.
--IANS
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