Bengaluru, Sep 13 (IANS) Hosts Karnataka sailed into the Sub-Junior Boys' National Football Championship 2024-25 Tier 1 final after beating Delhi 5-3 in the first semi-final at the Bangalore Football Stadium on Friday.

The first half was a close affair. Karnataka's Aayush Kothari opened the scoring from close range in the 33rd minute before Hutho Millo equalised for Delhi in the very next minute. But Kothari restored the hosts' advantage before the break after capitalising on a spill from goalkeeper Potshangbam Palin Meitei in the 44th minute, reports AIFF.

Karnataka stretched their lead with three more goals in the second half. Arvidrian Samwanki Lato scored with a header (58') and a direct free-kick (73'), while CH Sakip tapped in for an easy goal in the 65th minute. For Delhi, Macdonnish Ngairangbam's 80th and 84th-minute strikes were only enough for a consolation.

Kerala join Odisha in Sub-Junior Girls' NFC Tier 2 semi-final

Kerala blanked Chandigarh 7-0 to finish at the top of Group B in the Sub-Junior Girls' National Football Championship 2024-25 Tier 2 in Neemuch.

The southerners will face Group D winners Odisha in the semi-final on Sunday. Andhra Pradesh and hosts Madhya Pradesh will lock horns in the first semi-final on Saturday.

Kerala skipper Aaliya KV shone with four goals (10', 25', 63', 76'), while Vani Sree MK (14'), Sravanthi KR (68') and Nakshathra CS (82') contributed one goal each.

Goa beat Jammu & Kashmir 9-0 to wrap up the campaign in second place. Gwyneth Fernandes netted four of those (9', 12', 41', 52'), while Analee D'Costa (14', 45+1') and Sahana Gaonkar (48', 90') scored a brace. Substitute Venicia Carvalho also found the net in the 71st minute.

In Group D's dead rubber, Rajasthan finished their campaign with a 1-0 win over Telangana. Krishna Jat scored the lone goal in the 12th minute.

Tamil Nadu and Telangana keep the chase on in Sub-Junior Boys' NFC Tier 2

Telangana overcame Madhya Pradesh 3-1, while Tamil Nadu beat Lakshadweep 7-0 in Group A of the Sub-Junior Boys' National Football Championship Tier 2 in Jorhat.

While Assam continue to lead the group with nine points, Telangana and Tamil Nadu are now on six points each.

Telangana had to come from behind after Md Safiq Hussain gave Madhya Pradesh the lead in the 18th minute. Telangana completed the turnaround thanks to skipper Faisal Khan Mustafakhan, who netted a second-half hat-trick (48', 86', 90').

Tamil Nadu also had a hat-trick scorer in V Ajay Krishna (59', 65', 70'). UA Adarsh Nair scored a brace (40', 55'), while Aryan Alambadi Venkatasamy (45+1') and Visahan (68') netted one each.

In Group C, leaders Rajasthan made it back-to-back wins after beating Pondicherry 7-0. Captain Dhairya Sanadhya scored a hat-trick (17', 50', 90+2') and Koustubh Bohara netted a brace (77', 84'), while Madhav Chaturvedi (3') and Ativeer Dhoka (90') scored one each.

Jammu & Kashmir played a thrilling contest against Uttarakhand, coming on top with a 3-2 margin, with captain Mubashir Maqbool Dar scoring a hat-trick. Uttarakhand went ahead via Divyansh Singhel (45+1') but Dar was quick to equalise (45+4'). He scored again in the 67th minute, but Adi Pathak restored parity for Uttarakhand in the 80th minute. However, there was no stopping Dar, who completed his hat-trick in the 82nd minute and won all three points for Jammu & Kashmir.