Narainpur (Chhattisgarh), Apr 19 (UNI) In the first quarter-final match of the inaugural Swami Vivekananda U-20 Men's National Football Championship 2024, in-form Karnataka earned the
semi-final berth, defeating West Bengal 1-0 at the Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama Ground here
on Friday.
Prolific striker Saikhom Borish Singh netted the all-important goal of the match in the 31st minute,
his fifth of the championship.
The winners have been in good form from the start of the championship. Karnataka finished atop Group C with nine points from three matches, winning all three against Jharkhand (3-1), Ladakh (11-0), and Uttar Pradesh (4-0) by big margins. On the other hand, West Bengal made the last
eight from Group E with seven points from three matches.
Karnataka had been bountiful in front of goal throughout the championship, tallying 19 goals. West Bengal drew with Tamil Nadu (1-1) before winning against Punjab (5-1) and Uttarakhand (3-0).
The upcoming phase two of the championship begins on April 21. Four teams from both Group A
and Group H will compete with the winners of each group advancing to the second quarter-final scheduled for April 28.
UNI BM