Narainpur (Chhattisgarh), April 26 (UNI) Manipur sealed qualification for the Swami Vivekananda U-20 Men's National Football Championship quarter-finals after holding Odisha to a 1-1 draw in the last Group A fixture at the Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama Ground here on Thursday night.
Heading into the final matchday level on six points, Manipur and Odisha played a virtual pre-quarterfinal clash. Manipur held a slim advantage thanks to their superior goal difference and that's what made all the difference as they secured their passage into the last eight.
Odisha opened the scoring against Manipur early in the game. A defensive error saw Anil Toppo surge into the box with the ball before seeing his shot blocked by a Manipur defender. The rebound fell kindly for Suresh Khadia, who nutmegged the goalkeeper to give his side the lead.
Manipur dominated ball possession but could do little with it in the final third for most of the first half. Early in the second though, they started showing more urgency in dangerous areas, and soon enough drew level.
The goal arrived in the 51st minute when Yendrembam Rohit Singh'scross from the left was headed home by Ashangbam Bhaskar Singh.
Manipur's momentum saw them constantly threaten Odisha's goal through the later stages of the game, but a lack of efficiency meant that the game remained open for Odisha to bag a winner. However, Manipur held their own and squeezed into the knockout stage after the 1-1 draw.
In the morning's dead rubber clash, Chandigarh notched their first win of the tournament with a 7-2 demolition of Himachal Pradesh. The team rode to their three points via a brace each by Rohit and Ujjawal.
Ujjawal's opener came in the 41st minute after he was played through by Manveer Singh's ball. The wing-back drove through from the left before finishing at the near post. It was the goal that opened the floodgates after a long period of calm.
Chandigarh's other goal scorers were Gurtegbir Singh (51'), Manveer Singh (60') and Thokchom Surajkanta Singh (72'). Himachal Pradesh got two consolation goals through Vansh (58', 90'+1').
Telangana and Sikkim battle it out for top spot in Group H match on Friday at 07:30 IST. The winner of the clash will face Manipur in the quarter-final. A draw will be enough for Telangana to qualify.
Bihar will face Andaman & Nicobar to wrap up Group H action in the evening clash at 16:00 IST.
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