Tripura football team triumphs in the Swami Vivekananda Men’s U-20 National Football Championship with a 1-0 victory over Jharkhand, thanks to Nelson Tripura’s decisive goal. Read the match details and about other results.
Agartala May 12: Tripura kicked off their campaign with a victory at the Swami Vivekananda Under-20 Boys’ National Football Championship on Monday in Chhattisgarh. Tripura faced Jharkhand in their Group D opening match at the Ramakrishna Ashrama ground.
The State team secured a narrow 1-0 win, though a 4-0 victory wouldn’t have been surprising given their dominance. Nelson Tripura scored the decisive goal, but he and Sukh Dayal Jamatia squandered several easy chances, putting the team under pressure at times.
Under coach Raju Lama, Tripura dominated from the start, controlling possession and creating multiple opportunities. Despite their superiority, the first half ended goalless. In the 22nd minute of the second half, Sukh Dayal Jamatia’s pass from midfield found Nelson Tripura, whose initial shot was punched away by Jharkhand’s goalkeeper. Nelson pounced on the rebound with a powerful strike to secure the win.
Tripura’s manager, Sushanta Debbarma, said post-match, “If the boys had converted their chances, we could have won by a much larger margin, avoiding the tension until the end. This victory has boosted the team’s morale, which will help them perform better in the next match.” Tripura will face Himachal Pradesh in their second Group D match on May 14.
In a separate fixture of group D, Maharashtra netted once in each half to overcome Himachal Pradesh in their opening game of the 2025 Swami Vivekananda Men’s U20 NFC.
Kshitij Maral struck the opener in the ninth minute, capitalizing on a cross delivered from the right flank.
Following halftime, Keanan Bhobe added the second in the 51st minute by latching onto a lofted through ball behind the Himachal backline and calmly finishing at the near post.
Earlier on Sunday, both Sikkim and Uttar Pradesh kicked off their Group C campaigns with victories.
Sikkim secured a 3-1 win over Ladakh, while Uttar Pradesh narrowly defeated Punjab with a 1-0 scoreline.
Manipur, which is set to play its first match on Tuesday, completes the lineup of the five-team Group C. Only the top team from the group will advance to the quarter-finals.
The first half between Sikkim and Ladakh ended level, with Sikkim initially taking the lead through an own goal by Jigmet Nurboo in the 19th minute, which was equalized by Imran Ali Khan just before the interval.
However, Sikkim dominated the second half, sealing victory with goals from Deepjay Sharma in the 66th minute and Choden Lepcha ten minutes later in the 76th.
In Uttar Pradesh’s match, after a goalless opening half, Pravesh Kumar found the net in the 69th minute, which ultimately proved to be the match-winner.
