NEW DELHI, February 19: Delhi and Uttar Pradesh became the first teams to make the quarter-final league of the Sub-junior (under-16) National Football Championship for the Justice Mir Iqbal Hussain Trophy here today. In a well-contested match in Pool D at Thyagraj Nagar Sports Complex, Delhi outplayed Meghalaya 3-1 for their maiden entry. Playing a fast game, Delhi surged ahead in the fifth minute of the game when Sumit Thapa struck. Thapa made no mistake with his shot as he trapped the ball from his captain Saurabh Bisht from centre and angled in with precision.But this goal seems to have set in some complacency in their attitude even as Meghalaya attacked. One such counter-attack provided the lads from the northeastern state with the equaliser in the 14th minute. Capitalising on a defensive lapse, Johnny Myrobh found the target with minimum fuss. Change of end brought more luck for Delhi who played like the possessed. With better exchanges and accurate passes Delhi shattered the Meghalaya defence. A 40-yarder in the 41st minute by midfielder G. Ninza Kabui put Delhi in lead once again.With Delhi on top at this juuncture, Thapa dribbled one past the charging defenders and placed the ball in the far corner in the 74th minute to seal the fate of Meghalaya.At the Ambedkar Stadium, Uttar Pradesh worn out a spirited Manipur for a 1-0 victory, with the all-important goal coming in the 75th minute when Wazid Ali struck home. At the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Assam trounced a hapless Himachal Pradesh 9-0. This win in the five-team Pool B has placed Assam in a happier position. For winners Ujjal Nath (4), Sanjeeva Rongpi (3) and Raja Roy (2) scored. In another match at the same venue, Arunachal notched up their second win over Jammu and Kashmir (5-1). Arunachal, who scored all their goals in the first half, did not have to do much in the second except conceding one to their opponents. For Arunachal Girsuan Lal (2), Kaj Chatung (2) and Nanitamang were the scorers while Ishfaq Ahmed struck for JK.Goa beat Karnataka 2-1 with Roque Borges and P. FErnandes scoring for the former while for Karnataka, who took the lead, Pardeep netted in. In other inconsequential matches, Kerala downed Rajasthan 5-1 and Pondicherry beat Gujarat 3-0.
