Ricky Kharkongor's strike takes Meghalaya into Swami Vivekananda Men's U20 NFC semis

Narainpur (Chhattisgarh), May 9 (IANS) Meghalaya booked their spot in the semifinals of the Swami Vivekananda U20 Men’s National Football Championship 2025 after they edged Karnataka 1-0 at the Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama Ground on Friday.

A goal by striker Ricky Kharkongor (4’) in the fourth minute of the match clinched the issue in favour of Meghalaya. The Karnataka tried hard to make a comeback and created a few chances, especially in the second half. But the Meghalaya defence stood firm, denying their rivals any room.

Meghalaya, who made the quarter-finals on an impressive note, winning all three matches in Group A, found the going tough against Karnataka after an early strike. A cross from the left that landed in the Karnataka box was deftly pushed in from close by Kharkongor despite the presence of a couple of markers around him.

Thereafter, Karnataka made several moves throughout the encounter and came near scoring on a few occasions. But somehow, the equaliser remained elusive.

Meghalaya will play the winners of the quarter-final clash between the Group C and the Group D champions, in their semi-final. The matches in Group C and D will begin on May 11, and May 12, respectively.

Earlier, Karnataka finished as Group B toppers with a perfect 12 points from four matches, with Gujarat on nine, Tamil Nadu on six, Chhattisgarh on three, and Andaman & Nicobar on zero points.

Karnataka finished off their perfect campaign in Group B with a massive 10-0 victory against Andaman & Nicobar, their fourth win in as many matches.

On the other hand, Meghalaya ended their Group A campaign with a 7-0 victory against Bihar to remain unbeaten and maintain their top spot with nine points.

--IANS

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