AIFF Media Team
NARAINPUR, CHHATTISGARH: Bengal sealed their semi-final berth in the Junior Boys’ National Football Championship for B.C. Roy Trophy Tier 1 after they beat Kerala 2-0 in Group D at the Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama Ground, on Tuesday, August 6, 2024. Bengal led the match 1-0 at half-time.
Sagun Hembram (38’) and Debajit Dutta (70’) scored in each half, to hand Bengal their second victory of the campaign. Hembram produced a fine finish in the first half, when he controlled an aerial pass with his back to the goal, turned his marker, and fired it into the bottom corner.
Dutta, who came on as a substitute in the second half, also showed his quality just minutes after coming on, as he side-stepped a defender at the top of the box, played a one-two with Subhodip Sardar, and slotted it past the keeper to double his side’s lead.
With this win, Bengal have secured themselves at the top of Group D with six points from two matches. Kerala and Tamil Nadu occupy the second and third sports, respectively, with three points apiece. As one game remains for each team in Group D, Bengal are already secure at the top since they have a better head-to-head record against both Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
In the other Group D match, Tamil Nadu defeated hosts Chhattisgarh 3-1 after being locked 1-1 at half time, thanks to a hat-trick by Sreekapil S. For Chhattisgarh, Satish Kumar Wadde was the scorer.
Jammu & Kashmir, Telangana in semi-finals in Jr Boys’ NFC Tier 2
NAGAON, ASSAM: Jammu and Kashmir registered a facile 6-2 win over bottom-side Tripura in Group B to make the semi-finals of the Junior Boys’ National Football Championships for the BC Roy Trophy at the Nurul Amin Stadium in Nagaon, Assam.
While Akbar Ali Baba (2), Sahil Hussain, Zeeshan Anwar Lone, Mir Mujtaba Hussain and Aazim Parveez Najar scored for the winners, Tripura’s two goals came through Amarjit Debbarma.
In another match of the same group, Uttarakhand edged Madhya Pradesh by a solitary goal.
Telangana, too, made the semi-finals by the virtue of their all-win record in Group D. In their concluding match of the group league, Telangana defeated Bihar 3-0 after a goalless first half. Thongam Yaiphaba Singh, Aditya A and Mohammed Omar Farooq scored the goals.
In the same group, Rajasthan defeated Pondicherry 6-2. Anil Kumar (2), Sahil Meena, Nihit Matwa, Lovepreet Singh and Ritesh Kumar struck for Rajasthan. P Dhiyash scored both goals for the losers.
Kerala in facile win in Junior Girls’ NFC 2024-25 Tier 1
ANANTAPUR, ANDHRA PRADESH: Kerala scored their second consecutive win in Group C of the Junior Girls’ National Football Championship 2024-25 when they beat Gujarat 3-1 at the RDT Stadium in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh. Aysha scored two goals in the second half after Anu R Lopez put Kerala in the lead in the eighth minute, which Riya Faladu of Gujarat cancelled in the 14th minute.
In another match of the same group, Arunachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu played out a goalless draw.
Wednesday, August 7, 2024 fixtures:
Jr Boys' Tier 1, Narainpur, Chhattisgarh
Group B: Jharkhand vs Goa (8 am); Maharashtra vs Delhi (3 pm)
Junior Girls’ Tier 1 Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh
Group A: Jharkhand vs Andhra Pradesh (9 am); Himachal Pradesh vs Bihar (3 pm) RDM Stadium
Junior Girls’ NFC 2024-25 Tier 2, Belgaum, Karnataka
Semi-finals: Karnataka vs Assam (8 am); Rajasthan vs Sikkim (3 pm)