Maibam david

Swami Vivekananda U20 Men: Manipur and Odisha extended their winning runs with convincing victories over Himachal Pradesh (5-0) and Chandigarh (2-0), respectively, in the Swami Vivekananda U20 Men’s National Football Championship being played at the Ramakrishna Ashram Ground here on Tuesday.

With these wins, both teams have strengthened their claims for the lone quarterfinal spot available in Group A. As both Manipur and Odisha now have six points from two matches, the group winners will be decided when the two teams meet on Thursday.

Manipur, however, held a slight advantage as they were better placed on goal difference. While Manipur have scored 11 goals so far and conceded one, Odisha have netted four and are yet to let in any. Manipur, who defeated Chandigarh 6-1 in the previous match, once again showed their dominance in Group A with a commanding 5-0 victory over Himachal Pradesh in Group A.