Maharashtra make exit after a draw

Bangalore, June 6: Karnataka punched holes through a shaky Delhi defence with speed and purpose to earn a 2-0 win and a berth in the semi-f...

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Bangalore, June 6: Karnataka punched holes through a shaky Delhi defence with speed and purpose to earn a 2-0 win and a berth in the semi-finals of the National Games football tournament here today.

Earlier, Maharashtra’s disappointing 2-2 draw against lowly Manipur in a group B match put both sides out of contention. Besides, it helped Kerala and Goa earn their spots in the last four. Maharashtra have just three points from as many encounters.

Karnataka struck in the 33rd, when Kadiravan blasted the ball home off an indirect freekick from inside the box, which was pushed to him by Soma Philip. Dayanand, who came in for Najib midway through the second session, made it 2-0 ten minutes from time, hooking a Mohammed Ali cross home before the ball touched the ground.

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MAHARASHTRA HELD: Manipur used diagonals, both shallow and deep, to create space. In the process, they prevented their seasoned rivals from settling down.

Maharashtra suffered the humiliation of conceding an own goal in the 20th, when their defender Nagendra Rawat accidentally turned the ball home while attempting to block an Azizur shot.

Guneshore broke swiftly down the right in the 50th after intercepting a rival in the midfield, and found an unmarked Azizur in front of the goal with a low cross. The Manipur striker, who was uncomfortable with the ball on his right at the top of the box, dragged it to his left before spurting past S Majumdar and hammering home.

Paite struck for Maharashtra ten minutes later, beating the Manipur wing-back Jugeshore with blistering pace. The stoppers were left gaping in awe as the medio drove the ball home in his stride. Maharashtra levelled the score at 2-2 when Sandeep Kharat nodded in a flag kick in the dying moments.