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Meghalaya Crushes Andhra 8-1, Nears U20 Football Quarterfinals

Meghalaya defeated Andhra Pradesh 8-1 in the Swami Vivekananda U20 Men's National Football Championship, moving closer to a quarterfinal berth. Alex Manar, Mebanlamlynti, and Ryan Gibbs Kharnaior each scored twice for Meghalaya, who now top Group A with nine points. In other matches, Jharkhand beat Rajasthan 2-1, Kerala defeated Chandigarh 5-1, and Uttarakhand routed Andaman and Nicobar 9-1. Meghalaya needs only a draw against Rajasthan on May 17 to secure the top spot and advance to the quarterfinals.

Key Points: U20 Nationals: Meghalaya Nears Quarterfinals

  • Meghalaya beats Andhra Pradesh 8-1 with braces from three players
  • Jharkhand defeats Rajasthan 2-1 in Group A
  • Kerala beats Chandigarh 5-1 with Sheril Shaji Thomas hat-trick
  • Uttarakhand routs Andaman and Nicobar 9-1 in Group C
  • Meghalaya needs only a draw against Rajasthan on May 17 to top Group A
3 min read

U20 Men's Football Nationals: Meghalaya one win away from quarterfinal berth

Meghalaya routs Andhra Pradesh 8-1 in U20 Men's National Football Championship, needing only a draw against Rajasthan to secure a quarterfinal berth.

"Meghalaya have consolidated their position atop Group A with nine points from three matches - Match Report"

Narainpur, May 13

Meghalaya took a step closer to qualifying for the quarterfinals of the Swami Vivekananda U20 Men's National Football Championship from Group A, routing Andhra Pradesh at the Rama Krishna Mission Ashrama in Narainpur, Chhattisgarh, on Wednesday.

In other matches, Jharkhand defeated Rajasthan in Group A, while Group C saw Kerala defeat Chandigarh, and Uttarakhand win against Andaman and Nicobar.

Meghalaya routed Andhra Pradesh 8-1 on Ground 1 at the RKM Ashrama on Wednesday to take a step closer to qualifying for the quarterfinals. Alex Manar, Mebanlamlynti, and Ryan Gibbs Kharnaior scored two each, while Phermanbha Lyngdoh and Sholinstar Syngkli netted one each. B Bharath Kumar Reddy was the only scorer for Andhra Pradesh.

In the other Group A match, Jharkhand opened their account, defeating Rajasthan 2-1 on Ground 1 at the RKM Ashrama on Wednesday.

Rajasthan took the lead through a 6th-minute goal by Rudra Pratap Singh, but Jharkhand levelled the score just before half-time through Roushan Kumar, before Animesh Champia scored the winner with a little over 10 minutes of regulation time left on the clock.

Meghalaya have consolidated their position atop Group A with nine points from three matches and just need a draw against Rajasthan on May 17 to secure the top spot and progression to the quarter-finals of the championship.

Over in Group C, Kerala scored a major 5-1 victory against Chandigarh on Ground 2 at the RKM Ashrama on Wednesday. Sheril Shaji Thomas scored a first-half hat-trick to put Kerala in a commanding position. Sarthak Ghosh did pull one back in the 70th minute for Chandigarh, but Kerala's Calwin Thomas and Usman TH scored one each late on in the game to secure the three points for the southern state.

In the second Group C match of the day, Uttarakhand routed Andaman and Nicobar 9-1 on Ground 2 at the RKM Ashrama on Wednesday.

Sanjay Mehra and Yash Mittal scored one each early on for Uttarakhand, but P Mohammed Hasir soon pulled one back for Andaman and Nicobar. However, Uttarakhand pulled away from then on, with Gourav Singh and Harshit Mahar scoring two each, while Deboshish Mazumdar and Abhinav Yadav added two late goals. Andaman and Nicobar's Naveen Kumar scored an own goal later in injury time to complete the result.

Uttarakhand take the provisional pole position in Group C with three points from one game, with Kerala on hot pursuit on the same number of points. The latter are behind on goal difference.

Results:

Meghalaya 8 (Alex Manar 9', 45', Mebanlamlynti Masharing 16', 28', Ryan Gibbs Kharnaior 48', 50', Phermanbha Lyngdoh 58', Sholinstar Syngkli 84') def. Andhra Pradesh 1 (B Bharath Kumar Reddy 25')

Rajasthan 1 (Rudra Pratap Singh 6') def. Jharkhand 2 (Roushan Kumar 41', Animesh Champia 79')

Chandigarh 1 (Sarthak Ghosh 70') lost to Kerala 5 (Sheril Shaji Thomas 3', 12', 29', Calwin Thomas 71', Usman TH 86')

Uttarakhand 9 (Sanjay Mehra 5', Yash Mittal 25', Gourav Singh 36' p, 75', Harshit Mahar 38', 67', Deboshish Mazumdar 81', Abhinav Yadav 87', Naveen Kumar 90+3' og) def. Andaman & Nicobar 1 (P Mohammed Hasir 26')

- IANS

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Reader Comments

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Priya S
Look at Uttarakhand beating Andaman & Nicobar 9-1! That's dominance. And Sheril's hat-trick for Kerala was brilliant. But I feel a bit for Andhra and Chandigarh - they need better grassroots training. The gap between states is still too wide.
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Vikram M
Great to see Swami Vivekananda U20 championship getting coverage. But 8-1 and 9-1 scorelines show there's a huge disparity in development. We need more regional academies. Still, kudos to Meghalaya - their football culture is really paying off! 👏
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Ananya R
The North East is becoming a football powerhouse in India. Meghalaya especially. But Jharkhand's comeback win against Rajasthan shows fight too. Would love to see more investment in football at school level across the country. This is how we'll compete globally.
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Rohit P
Kerala and Uttarakhand both on 3 points in Group C - that's going to be a thrilling race for quarterfinals! Sheril Shaji Thomas with a first-half hat-trick is exceptional talent. We need these U20 stars to be nurtured into senior team players for India. 🇮🇳⚽
S
Siddharth J
While the big wins are exciting, I worry about teams like Andaman & Nicobar and Chandigarh getting thrashed. It's not motivating for young players. The federation should ensure competitive groupings or provide more support to developing football states. Every team deserves dignity in defeat.

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