Kerala had no weapons in its arsenal to conquer the steel fort of Bhubaneswar Punjab. Despite playing well, the champions returned home with the realization that there is no victory without scoring a goal. Kerala lost 1-1 to Punjab in the must-win Santosh Trophy football match. Vaishakh gave in after taking the lead through Mohan. Punjab responded through Rohit Sheikh and spearheaded Kerala’s progress throughout the game. Goalkeeper Harpreet Singh was also full of brilliant saves. Realizing the importance of the decisive battle, Kerala batted. It showed a sense of team that was never seen before. Measured passes and accurate shots. V Mithun and Co. played the best game in the final round. Right from the start, he dominated the ball and moved towards Punjab’s goal. OM Asif and V Arjun in the midfield and Nijo Gilbert and Abdu Rahim on the wings led the attack without a break. The awaited goal came in the 24th minute. The moment when the Punjab defense collapsed for the first and last time. Vaishakh caught the pass given by Abdul Rahim from the right corner and hit it. Punjab’s strong defender Gurtej Singh’s shot tricked into the net. Kerala 1 Punjab 0. The look and feel of Punjab, which had been defending till then, has changed. Convinced that they would be eliminated if they lost, the former champions started a counter-attack. Kerala was beginning to shake. The equalizer was scored within 10 minutes. Paramjit Singh’s cross from in front of the box. It was towards Kamaldeep Singh’s legs on the left. The striker quickly fed the ball to Rohit. The reply goal with four Kerala defenders and goalie Mithun as spectators. After catching up, the Punjabis were involved again. Defensive play. Kerala, on the other hand, intensified the attack. But nothing was achieved. After the break, Arjun’s shot was deflected from the goal line twice. Abdu Rahim’s left foot hits the post and returns. Mohammad Rasheed and Captain Rajat Kumar were at the helm of the Punjab wall. Meanwhile, Abhishek Rathu’s attempt was saved by Mithun. Harpreet’s brilliant performance was in the last 10 minutes. The goalkeeper made Punjab happy by saving four goal-scoring shots. Kerala’s laughter faded. The setback was the loss to Karnataka. Kerala, who missed the semi-finals of the Santosh Trophy football, suffered a setback after losing to Karnataka. They finished third in Group A with eight points, including two wins, a draw and a loss in five games. In the first match, they defeated Goa by 3–2 and in the second match, they fell by one goal to Karnataka. This affected the way forward. Karnataka won two and drew three. The neighbors advanced to the semi-finals with nine points. Punjab and Karnataka in the semi-finals Punjab as the group champions and Karnataka as the runners-up will enter the semi-finals. Punjab has 11 points in Group A. Three wins and two draws in five games. They are eight times champions. Played finals 16 times. In the final match, Karnataka drew 2-2 with Odisha and Kerala did not win. Crowned four times. All four were part of old Mysore. Maharashtra defeated Goa by two goals in the last round of the group game. Goa returns with five losses. Meghalaya and Railways in search of semis Meghalaya and Railways will go into Group B today to secure semis. Bengal for Meghalaya and semi fixed services for railways. Railways and Meghalaya have seven points. The Railways-Meghalaya match was a goalless draw. Meghalaya is currently second in goal difference. Those who win today will advance. In case of a tie, goals will be decided. Read on deshabhimani.com
