AGENCIES
KOLKATA
Goa will take on Karnataka in their second match at the 72nd Santosh Trophy here tomorrow. This will be a crucial match for Armando Colaco’s boys, who were stunned by Mizoram’s come-from-behind 3-1 victory in their Group B opener on Tuesday.
Mizoram sit at the top of the group with three points and lead Punjab on a better goal difference. They play Odisha next on Thursday and six-time winners, Goa would hope for a better show when they face Karnataka on the same day.
Meanwhile on Wednesday, Bengal put in a stellar second-half performance to rout Maharashtra 5-1 in their second Group A fixture. The win took Bengal’s tally to 6 points from 2 games. Chandigarh and Manipur played out a 1-1 draw in another match.
The hosts squandered a host of chances, looked shaky in defence and needed a special effort from teenage striker Bidyashagar Singh to come from behind and see off a Maharashtra side who played attractive football.
While Bengal pressed high up, opponents Maharashtra managed to take the lead against the run of play at the other end. Leander Dharmai capitalised on an error to beat Bengal custodian Ranajit Majumder from Kiran Pandhare’s free-kick in the 8th minute.
Having conceded, Bengal began attacking with intensity through Jiten Mumru and Bidyashagar but Maharashtra managed to hold on, defending deep as the first half ended 1-0.
Needing a goal, Bengal came out all guns blazing in the second half. The pressure paid off as the host restored the parity at the 55th-minute mark. Sumit Das held off a defender on the left flank and floated in a cross to the far post finding Manotosh Chakladar to slot past Maharashtra goalkeeper Manav Baraskar.
Bengal’s continued pressure yielded another goal in the 62nd minute when Jiten got on the score-sheet after he slotted home from Tirthankar Sarkar’s free-kick to put the Bengal into the lead.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra created anxious moments for the Bengal defence but they lacked the cutting edge to make further inroads. Bengal, thereafter, dominated the proceedings and added their third through Bidyashagar in the 79th minute.
With the confidence of the players understandably soaring high, Bidyashagar made it four in the 82nd minute from Ankit Mukherjee’s pass. Substitute Rajon Barman then slotted in from Babun Das’ pass to round off the tally at the final whistle.
Bengal will next play Chandigarh on March 25 at the Mohun Began Ground while Maharashtra will face the same opponent at Rabindra Sarobar Stadium on March 23.
Chandigarh and Manipur played out a 1-1 draw in their second match. Ngangbam Naocha scored the opening goal for Manipur in the 25th minute with Vivek Rana equalising for Chandigarh in the 65th minute.
Sandeep Singh, on the other hand, made just one change in the Chandigarh line-up which suffered a 1-5 defeat against Kerala in their previous match. Pankaj Singh came in place of Deepak Kumar.
Chandigarh were in control of the game right from the word go and dominated possession. Midfielder Barjinderpal Singh came very close to breaking the deadlock as early as in the 9th minute of the match but unfortunately for him, the ball hit the crossbar and came back.
Sandeep Singh’s men commanded the game but failed to make an impact in the attacking third as Manipur scored the opening goal of the match in the 25th minute. Nagamba Naocha received a through ball at the edge of the box and slotted the home comfortably. It was a brilliantly orchestrated counter-attack which caught the Chandigarh defence napping. Chandigarh came very close to restore parity in the game at the stroke of halftime. Skipper Pawandeep Singh curled a quality free-kick on target but credit to Manipuri custodian Salam Singh who kept the ball out as the Manipur led 1-0 at half-time.
The Northern side began the second half with greater intensity as they looked hungry for an equaliser. They opened the goal mouth on quite a few occasions but as usual, lacked the firepower in the final third. Finally, in the 65th minute, they found the equaliser thanks to a strike from Vivek Rana. The winger received a low cross from the right flank and easily found the back of the net much to his side’s relief. Thereafter, Manipur never showed the intensity to score one more as Chandigarh maintained the pressure but were unable to find the winner.
