In a thrilling encounter at the Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama Ground, West Bengal secured a spot in the Swami Vivekananda U-20 Men’s NFC quarter-finals by defeating Uttarakhand 3-0. This victory propelled them to the top of Group E with seven points, securing their place in the knockout stage.
The match saw West Bengal dominate from the start, with Santanu Naskar scoring in the third minute to give his team an early lead. Rahul Naskar and Shibam Munda further solidified their position with goals in the 60th and 69th minute, respectively. With three goals, Rahul Naskar emerged as West Bengal’s top scorer in the tournament.
On the other hand, Uttarakhand, despite a solitary win over Punjab in their opening match, finished in third place in Group E and saw their campaign come to an end. Tamil Nadu, their competitor for the last-eight berth, could only manage a draw against Punjab and was eliminated from the competition.
West Bengal’s impressive performance has set up a quarter-final clash with the winner of Group C on April 19. The team will be looking to carry their momentum forward and make a strong statement in the knockout stages of the tournament.
