Santosh Trophy 2018 roundup: Karnataka knock Odisha out, Mizoram beat Punjab

Odisha were knocked out of the Santosh Trophy 2018 after suffering their third consecutive defeat in the ongoing tournament against Karnataka on Saturday at the Rabindra Sarobar Stadium. The Southern state registered a 2-1 win.

In another encounter at the Howrah Stadium, Mizoram collected their third consecutive win against Punjab to remain at the top of the Group B. Mizoram won the match 2-1.

At Rabindra Stadium, Karnataka took the lead in the 26th minute via a brilliant solo goal from Bengaluru FC reserves winger Leon Augustine. He ran down the middle of the pitch, going past four defenders to put his team in front.

Odisha came back into the game at the stroke halftime when their skipper Arjun Nayak headed the ball in from Kartika Bhola’s corner. It was a much-needed boost to Odisha’s confidence who needed to register a win today to remain in the race for the semi-final spot.

The second half was a rather dull affair. Both the sides took a pragmatic approach and were busy protecting their goals.

Odisha came close to the second goal on several occasions but their strikers squandered the chances.

Karnataka scored the winning goal of the match in the 87th minute thanks to a strike from Rajesh S. The striker tapped the ball into the back of the net from a square pass by his skipper Gunashekar Vignesh.

In the other match, Mizoram beat Punjab 2-1 thanks to a brace scored by Lalremruata in the 7th and 9th minute. Jitender Rawat pulled one back for Punjab in the 56th minute.

Mizoram, as usual, were in control of the match from the beginning and netted two early goals. Lalremruata netted the first goal from Lalbiakhlua’s pass and the second one was created Dawngliana who ran past two defenders before forwarding the ball to Remruata.

Jitender Rawat scored Punjab’s first goal in the 56th minute from Baltej’s curling cross. Lalromawia and Malsawma, who were inside the box, failed to intercept, allowing Jitender to tap the ball home.

Mizoram got a chance in the dying moments of the match when they were awarded a penalty after Lalrinpuia was brought down inside the Punjab box. Malsawma took the spot-kick but it was saved by Punjab custodian Moses.