PUNE: Punjab and Goa chalked out contrasting victories over their rivals in Pool B to qualify for the semifinals in the Boys Under-21 football competition of the Khelo India Youth Games here on Sunday.
Punjab captain Parmeet Jutty (27th minute) and Vikrant Singh (28th) helped their team overpower Manipur 2-0 while Goa downed Karnataka 1-0 to record their second successive victories and with six points each assured themselves a place in knock out stage.
Goa had to battle hard to put it across Karnataka. Joel Dias scored the all-important goal in the 50th minute.
Goa and Punjab will face one another in the last league match to decide the top place. In Pool A, Mizoram has already made the cut with six points from two matches,
In the girls U-17, Manipur blasted eight goals without reply from Uttar Pradesh. NP Devi (3) Yumlembam (2), Laishram, and Morengthem (one each) scored. Similarly, Jharkhand hammered a dozen goals vs Chandigarh.
RESULTS:
Boys:
Under-21: Goa bt Karnataka 1-0; Punjab bt Manipur 2-0.
Under-17: Uttar Pradesh drew Odisha 0-0; Maharashtra drew with Kerala 0-0.
Girls:
Under-21: Bihar bt Jharkhand 6-0; Manipur bt Maharashtra 2-1.
Under-17: Manipur bt Uttar Pradesh 8-0; Jharkhand bt Chandigarh 12-0.