Swami Vivekananda Men's U-20 NFC: UP go top of Group D, Punjab beat Manipur

IANS May 13, 2025 319 views

Punjab secured a hard-fought 1-0 win against Manipur thanks to Harmandeep Singh’s early strike. Uttar Pradesh dominated Ladakh 4-2 with Pravesh Kumar scoring a hat-trick, propelling them to the top of Group C. Meanwhile, Maharashtra and Tripura made strong starts in Group D with victories over Himachal Pradesh and Jharkhand. The tournament continues to showcase emerging football talent across India.

"Pravesh Kumar’s hat-trick powers UP to the top of Group C" – Match Report
Narainpur, May 13 : Punjab and Uttar Pradesh emerged victorious in their respective matches against Manipur and Ladakh in the Group C matches of the Swami Vivekananda Men’s U20 National Football Championship at the Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama Ground on Tuesday.

Key Points

1

Punjab secures narrow 1-0 win over Manipur

2

UP’s Pravesh Kumar nets hat-trick in 4-2 victory

3

Maharashtra and Tripura lead Group D after opening wins

4

Punjab and Sikkim tied on points in tight Group C race

An early goal gave Punjab the victory against Manipur, in the first match of the day, by a 1-0 margin.

Punjab captain Harmandeep Singh broke through down the left, entered the box with pace, and dinked the ball over a sliding goalkeeper to put his side in the lead in the 12th minute. Manipur piled the pressure on Punjab in the later stages of the game, but the latter held on to the victory and three points.

Punjab remained third in Group C with three points from two matches. They are tied on the same number of points with Sikkim, but the latter have played one game less.

In the second match of the day, Uttar Pradesh won a high-scoring game against Ladakh, defeating the union territory 4-2. Uttar Pradesh led 2-1 at half-time.

Pravesh Kumar scored (8’, 44’, 56’) a hat-trick for Uttar Pradesh while Mohsin Khan (48’) added the fourth. Akash Tirkey (40’) and Imran Ali (86’) were the two scorers for Ladakh. Uttar Pradesh, with this win, climb to the top of Group C, having garnered six points from their two matches so far.

On Monday, Maharashtra and Tripura began their campaign on the right foot with wins against Himachal Pradesh and Jharkhand, respectively in their opening games of Group D.

While Tripura defeated Jharkhand 1-0 in the first match, Maharashtra overcame Himachal Pradesh 2-0. Maharashtra and Tripura occupy the respective first two spots in the group while Jharkhand and Himachal are on negative goal differences. Mizoram are yet to play in the five-team group.

Reader Comments

R
Rajesh K.
Great to see UP performing so well! Pravesh Kumar's hat-trick was brilliant. Hope these young players get proper support to develop further. Indian football needs more talent from the heartland states. 🇮🇳⚽
P
Priya M.
Manipur boys played well despite the loss. They've always been football powerhouses - hope they bounce back stronger in next matches. The tournament is getting exciting with so many close matches!
A
Amit S.
Why isn't this tournament getting more coverage? These young players deserve more attention. BCCI gets crores for cricket while football struggles for basic facilities. Time to change this bias!
S
Sunita R.
Ladakh scoring twice against UP is impressive! Football is growing in every corner of India. Maybe one day we'll see players from these regions in ISL and national team. Keep going boys! 👍
V
Vikram J.
Punjab's defense held strong under pressure. That's the spirit! But AIFF should improve tournament scheduling - some teams have played 2 matches while others just 1. Not fair competition.
N
Neha P.
Maharashtra and Tripura starting strong in Group D! Hope to see more matches from North-East teams soon. They play such beautiful football there. When will Mizoram play their first match?

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Swami Vivekananda U-20 NFC Punjab football Uttar Pradesh football Manipur vs Punjab Pravesh Kumar
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