RAIPUR
The Mizoram U20 men’s football team secured their spot in the quarter-finals of the National Football Championship with a dominant 6-1 victory over Uttar Pradesh. Playing at the Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama in Chhattisgarh, the northeastern stars proved why they are the team to beat in this year’s tournament.
Mizoram entered the match needing only a draw to move forward, but they clearly wanted more. The game started fast when Mesak C Lalrinngheta scored an early penalty goal. While Uttar Pradesh managed to tie the game at 1-1 shortly after halftime thanks to a strike by Shahvez, the celebration was short-lived. The equalizer seemed to wake up the Mizoram offense, which responded with five unanswered goals.
The star of the show was Vanlalramnghaka, who scored a brilliant second-half hat-trick to put the game out of reach. Teammates Eddi Lalhmangaihzuala and C Lalkhawgaiha also added goals to complete the rout. With this win, Mizoram finished at the top of Group G with a perfect record of three wins from three matches.
In other action, Madhya Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh played to an exciting 3-3 draw, though both teams had already been eliminated. Meanwhile, in Group F, the SAI team showed no mercy, defeating Pondicherry 14-0 to confirm their own place in the final eight. As the tournament moves into the knockout stages, Mizoram’s explosive scoring power has made them a top favorite for the title.