Tamil Nadu kept their hopes alive in the Santosh Trophy tournament by overcoming the challenge of Jharkhand 3-2 in a Group B match on Sunday. Thanks to a fine display by their playmaker A Raegan. It was a must win match for both. Jharkhand seemed to dominate the tie for a while and missed a chance in 5th minute. Kamaldeep Singh got past the goalkeeper and fired straight with only the TN’s K Satish before him. However Satish kept his nerves and cleared the ball to safety.
The shocker came in the 28th minute when Bindan Mandi smashed powerfully home to give Jharkand the lead. The TN players regrouped and attacked frequently. They were rewarded for the effort as captain S Karthik found the equaliser for his side. He managed to find the back of the net from a cross from the left flank by Raegan. In the second half Raegan exhibited his brilliance again to dribble past Jharkhand defence and put TN in lead. Tamil Nadu skipper was again in the spotlight as he assisted Charles Anandrai for their third strike.
Jharkhand pulled a goal towards the final moments of the game, with Biswajith Sardar volleying in the ball which rebounded from the goal post, after a free kick missed the target. With the loss, Jharkhand are out of the tournament.
Maharashtra Pack off Goa
Maharashtra continued its dominance in the group B of the quarterfinal league and showed Goa the way out of the tournament by pounding latter 3-0.
Thanks to the stand out display by Player of the Match NP Pradeep and Mohammed Rafi.
Both struck a goal each in the team’s second straight win in the group B at LB Stadium, Kollam on Sunday.
Kerala Inch closer to semifinals
Kochi: Hosts Kerala moved a step closer towards a semifinal berth with a 3-2 win over Uttar Pradesh at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium here.
Kerala are atop the standings with six points. UP and Haryana, by virtue of their 3-1 defeat of Jammu and Kashmir earlier, too are afloat with three points each. In the event, the final two group games on Tuesday assume significance, with only the leader advancing.
vikas scores brace in haryana’s win
Riding on twin strikes from Vikas, Haryana beat Jammu and Kashmir 3-1 to keep alive their semifinal hopes from Group C. The striker scored in the 30th and 44th minutes before partner Vivek added a third on 84 minutes to ensure 3 points for his team even as Jammu and Kashmir bowed out of the c’ship, this being their second successive defeat.