AIFF Media Team

NARAINPUR, CHHATTISGARH: Delhi scored an 87th-minute winner to edge past Goa 3-2 and book their place in the Swami Vivekananda U-20 Men's National Football Championship quarter-finals as Group B toppers at the Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama Ground in Narainpur, Chhattisgarh, on Friday, April 26, 2024.

Delhi thus ended Group A in first place with a perfect record of three wins. Goa, who led the table after two matchdays courtesy of their superior goal difference over Delhi, surrendered the top spot and finished second with six points. In the other group match, hosts Chhattisgarh grabbed a consolation 1-0 win over Pondicherry. Delhi will meet Group D winners, either Kerala or Haryana, in the quarter-final on May 9 at 07:30 IST.

Goa 2 (Dalwin Coelho 4', Soham Shrikrishna Nagvekar 73')
lost to
Delhi 3 (Haodamlian Vaiphei 53' p, Akshay Raj Singh 77', Dalwin Coelho 87' og)

Goa went ahead as early as the fourth minute after Murphy Fernandes sent Dalwin Coelho through on goal with a well-weighted ball from the midfield. The winger took a touch before squeezing it past goalkeeper Karan Makkar, who got a glove to the ball but it wasn't enough to prevent it from crossing the line. Delhi's equalised eight minutes into the second half from the penalty spot after Goa goalkeeper Mahammad Mansur Ali Manki tripped Ramesh Chhetri from behind. Haodamlian Vaiphei confidently sent Manki the wrong way from 12 yards out to make it 1-1 in the 53rd minute.

A draw wouldn't have been enough for Delhi, so they continued to put numbers forward, which allowed Goa to threaten on the break. After clearing a Delhi corner, they retook the lead from a counter-attack. Substitute Soham Shrikrishna Nagvekar raced from his own half, outpacing all Delhi defenders pursuing him, before rounding the goalkeeper and scoring into an empty net.

But that was far from the final twist in the tale, as the tie would swing into Delhi's favour in the space of just 10 minutes. The capital side made it 2-2 in the 77th minute thanks to Akshay Raj Singh's solid right-footed volley at the far post after Goa failed to clear a Rituraj Mohan cross from the left. And then in the 87th minute, Delhi edged ahead, in rather fortunate fashion. Akshay was in the thick of things again as he darted into the box from the left and triggered a low shot which took a deflection off none other than Goa's first goalscorer Coelho and trickled past the line. With his head in his hands, Coelho could only watch unbelievably as the Delhi players reeled away in celebration.

Chhattisgarh 1 (Manish Kumar Kowachi 70')
beat
Pondicherry 0

In the early morning dead rubber clash between Chhattisgarh and Pondicherry, there was joy for the hosts as they ended their campaign with a victory. They secured it in stunning fashion in the 70th minute as Manish Kumar Kowachi cut inside from the left and unleashed an incredible long-range strike into the top corner, leaving outstretched Pondicherry goalkeeper Thirusivaraman with no chance. With the win, Chhattisgarh finished the group in third place with three points, while bottom-placed Pondicherry will return home without a point in the bag.

On Tuesday, Kerala will play Haryana for the top spot in Group D and a quarter-final berth at 07:30. Already-eliminated Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh will hope to wrap up their tournaments with a win as they face each other at 16:00. Both matches will be streamed live on the Indian Football YouTube Channel.