Uttar Pradesh Tops Group C in U20 National Football Championship After Draw with Sikkim
Uttar Pradesh's Performance in the Championship
In Narainpur, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh has temporarily secured the top position in Group C of the Swami Vivekananda Men’s U20 National Football Championship following a 2-2 draw against Sikkim at the Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama Ground. The day also saw Manipur triumph over Ladakh with a score of 4-1, according to the official AIFF website.
Currently, Uttar Pradesh leads the group with seven points from four matches, while Manipur and Punjab trail closely behind with six points each, having played one match less. Uttar Pradesh has completed all their group matches, making the outcomes of the upcoming matches between Punjab and Ladakh, as well as Manipur and Sikkim on May 19, crucial for determining who advances to the quarter-finals.
For Punjab, the path is straightforward: a victory against Ladakh guarantees them the top spot and a place in the quarter-finals, irrespective of other results.
Manipur, however, must secure a better result than Punjab to qualify. If both matches on May 19 end in draws, and all three teams finish with seven points, Manipur will top the group due to superior head-to-head records against the other teams.
Uttar Pradesh will be hoping for a draw between Punjab and Ladakh, along with a win for Sikkim against Manipur. In this scenario, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Sikkim would all end with seven points, but Uttar Pradesh would lead due to their better head-to-head record.
In their match against Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim managed to equalize twice, ultimately ending their chances of advancing to the knockout stages. Uttar Pradesh had a 2-1 lead at halftime.
Uttar Pradesh opened the scoring with a goal from Vijay Bahadur Patel in the 14th minute, but Sikkim's Rapgay Lepcha equalized shortly after in the 22nd minute. Pravesh Kumar restored Uttar Pradesh's lead in the 34th minute, yet Sikkim's Anoj Tamang found the equalizer in the 90th minute.
Meanwhile, Manipur secured their second consecutive victory by defeating Ladakh 4-1, with the score tied at 1-1 at halftime. Ladakh initially took the lead with a goal from Akash Tirkey in the 23rd minute, but Manipur equalized just before the break with a goal from Md Abash in the 45+1 minute. The second half saw Manipur dominate, scoring three more goals through Leishungbam Bankimchandra Singh, Chanam Akash Meitei, and Ngairangbam Jarish Singh.