Down by a goal halfway through, Karnataka bounced back to demolish Goa 4-1 in an one-sided Group B encounter of the 72nd Santosh Trophy at the Sailen Manna Sports Complex in Howrah on Thursday.
At half time Goa were leading 1-0. Kapil Hoble scored in the 26th minute for Goa while Gunashekhar Vignesh equalised for the Southern state in the 54th minute before S. Rajesh’s 61st minute goal along with a 69th minute own goal by Mathew Gonsalves and 89th minute strike by Leon Augustine sealed the full three points for Karnataka.
Karnataka began the game in attacking mode and created the first chance in the 6th minute. Rajesh did well to cut in past a couple of defenders from the left but his powerful drive sailed inches over the horizontal.
While Karnataka pressed high up, Goa managed to take the lead against the run of the play. Kapil capitalised on a defensive error to beat Karnataka custodian Shaikhan from Joachim Abranches’ low cross in the 26th minute.
The goal appeared to be the wakeup call for Karnataka, as they began attacking with intensity through Vignesh and Rajesh but some desperate defending by Goa saw the first half ended 1-0.
The second half started with Karnataka having greater possession and looked more threatening going forward, thanks to crisp passing, good off-the-ball movement and dazzling individual skills. Karanataka found the equalizer through skipper Vignesh, who slotted from Sukesh Leon’s pass in the 54th minute.
The goal inspired Karnataka to get even more offensive in their approach and they took the lead in the 61st minute when Rajesh found the back of the net from Liton’s pass.
Goa though created some chances but failed to equalize, as they failed to stick to their passing game policy.
Karnataka’s third came in form of an own goal in the 69th minute when experienced Mathew Gonsalves slotted in his own net while trying to clear Sukesh’s cross.
Thereafter, Goa went all out to grab some late goals but all their efforts were undone by an 89th minute strike from young Leon Augustine. The Bengaluru FC reserves winger got the ball from midfield and ran past a couple of defenders to slot a brilliant volley home.
Karnataka will face Odisha next on March 24 at Rabindra Sarobar Stadium while Goa will face the same opponents on March 26 at Mohun Began Ground.
Mizoram blank Odisha
Mizoram put five past Odisha side in their second match of the Santosh Trophy 2017-18 final round at the Rabindra Sarobar Stadium, Kolkata on Thursday.
Midfielder Lalromawia scored yet another brace to guide his team to glory. The other goals were netted by Lalbiakhlua, Malsawmdawngliana and F. Lalrinpuia.
In the 34th minute, Zomuanpuia C found the back of the net but to his disappointment, the linesman awarded Odisha a free-kick as he handled the ball before scoring the goal. The deadlock finally broke in the 37th minute when Zomuanpuia headed the ball into the net from Lalrinpuia’s cross from the left.
Lalromawia increased the lead in the 41st minute after following a wonderful through ball down the middle from Lalnun Tluanga and comfortably slotted the ball home. The sides went into the break with the scoreboard flashing 2-0 in favour of Mizoram.
Lalsangzuala’s men started the second half with greater intensity and looked hungry for more goals. They were often seen changing their shape from 4-3-3 to 4-2-4 with Lalromawia moving further up in the attacking third. Mizoram’s attacking mindset yielded them their third goal of the match. Lalromawia scored yet again to get his brace from Lalbiakhlua’s cross in the 59th minute.
Their lead further increased in the 73rd minute when Odisha’s goalkeeper Ejazuddin Khan made a blunder in front of the goal by coming out of his line. Malsawmdawngliana kept his composure and pushed the ball into an empty net.
Mizoram hit the final nail in Odisha’s coffin in the 91st minute thanks to a strike from F. Lalrinpuia. They could have easily won this match by a bigger margin had their strikers been a little more clinical in front of the goal.
Mizoram next face Punjab on 24th March, Saturday at Howrah Stadium and Odisha meet Karnataka on the same day at the Rabindra Sarobar Stadium.
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