Manipur 2 (Chanam Akash Meetei 79’, 109’)
beat
West Bengal 1 (Tanbir Dey 57’)

AIFF Media Team

NARAINPUR, CHHATTISGARH: Chanam Akash Meetei struck twice as Manipur came from behind to defeat West Bengal 2-1 after extra time in the quarter-finals of the Swami Vivekananda U-20 Men’s National Football Championship at the RK Ashram Ground 1 on Friday, May 8, 2026. The regulation time ended 1-1.

Tanbir Dey gave West Bengal the lead in the 57th minute before Manipur responded in the 79th minute through Meetei. Meetei then struck the winner in extra time in the 109th minute, tapping home from inside the box after a clever short-corner routine. The victory sent Manipur into the semi-finals after a hard-fought comeback against one of the tournament’s strongest sides.

In a tightly contested encounter between two evenly matched sides, both teams showed defensive discipline and tactical caution for large periods of the match. Spaces were hard to come by as neither side wanted to overcommit going forward, resulting in a tense midfield battle through much of regulation time.

West Bengal eventually broke the deadlock in the 57th minute through Tanbir Dey. Captain Prajjal Saha delivered a precise long ball into the area, and Dey timed his run perfectly to slip between the defenders. The forward controlled the ball calmly before slotting it past the advancing Manipur goalkeeper Nongthomgbam Naobi Singh to put West Bengal ahead.

The goal lifted West Bengal’s confidence as they began to assert themselves more in possession and looked increasingly threatening on the counterattack.

Manipur, however, responded strongly and gradually pushed numbers forward in search of an equaliser. Their persistence paid off in the 79th minute with a well-worked team move. After a patient build-up, a clever flick from a Manipuri forward inside the box found Meetei, who finished clinically to restore parity and force the contest into extra time.

With momentum on their side, Manipur continued to press during the additional period and found the winner in the 109th minute. A short corner routine caught the West Bengal defence off guard, and the ball was worked neatly into the penalty area where Meetei reacted quickest to tap home his second goal of the evening.