Haodamlian vaiphei

Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama Ground Narainpur: Delhi beat Mizoram 3-2 in the second semifinal to book a title clash against Karnataka in the inaugural Swami Vivekananda U20 Men’s National Football Championship at the Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama Ground here on Monday. In the first semifinal of the day, Karnataka edged Manipur 1-0 to proceed to the title encounter in the tournament.

Delhi saw off a late surge by Mizoram in their semifinal to win 3-2 in a match that was primarily controlled by the former.

The side from the capital took the lead in the very first minute through Haodamlian Vaiphei, taking everyone by surprise. It took Mizoram some time to recover from the early goal, but they did so with a well-crafted equaliser in the 20th minute. C. Lalmuanzuala threaded a perfect aerial through ball to Lalthankima, who brought it down with a fine touch, rounded the keeper, and scored. Their joy was not to last too long, however, as Delhi regained the lead in the 33rd through Ramesh Chhetri.