Spreading the beautiful game across different states is one of the key objectives in Vision 2047, and the Federation has begun that process by taking the Hero Santosh Trophy to new heights. The-aiff.com is present in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, where the Final Round of the 76th National Football Championship for the Hero Santosh Trophy is taking place, to follow the progression of events in the premier state competition in the country.

Vaibhav Raghunandan
AIFF Media Team

BHUBANESWAR: A day of upsets at the 76th National Football Championship for the Hero Santosh Trophy saw Karnataka shock the holders Kerala in the first game of the day. In the evening kickoffs, Odisha ran riot at the Kalinga Stadium, scoring four goals in a thrilling win for the home team while Punjab edged out Maharashtra in a seven goal thriller.     

Kerala 0

lost to

Karnataka 1 (Abhishekh Shankar Powar 20’)

The day’s opener was a rematch of last year’s semi finals, one where Karnataka had been laid waste to by a rampant home team who put seven goals past them in front of a baying crowd. There was no goal spree like that today, with Karnataka keen to not just banish those memories but also laid a marker for Group A. 

Ravi Babu Raju’s wards were immediately dominant, pressing high without the ball and shifting flanks with ease when on it. Kerala, whose squad boasts of a mere three players from their title winning run looked a bit lost, missing simple passes and making uncharacteristic errors in midfield.

In the 20th minute, Karnataka made them pay for their slow start, Powar slamming in from close range after some lovely build up play had set him free. They kept the pressure dialled to high, never easing up or allowing Kerala’s youngsters a foothold in the game. Midhun V was called into action thrice in the first half, making crucial saves to ensure the scoreline didn’t run away from the holders.

Kerala’s play had been so dismal that PB Ramesh had effected two changes within the first half, and after the break two more followed suit. The latter set of changes saw OM Asif introduced to bring more speed to their wings, and for the most part it worked. 

Asif, Riswanali and Nijo GIlbert were guilty of missing many chances in the second half, shooting over or tamely when a simpler finish would’ve seen them grab the points. In the end, Karnataka had done enough to see it through. 

“It was vital for us to win today,” Raju said after the game. “This is a tight group, and we know that it will be won and lost by a mere point or two. These three points separate us from the pack now.”

Goa 1 (Mahammed Faheez 45’ + 1’)

lost to 

Odisha 4 (Bikash Kumar Sahoo 11’, Chandra Mohan Murmu 28’, Rahul Mukhi 79’, Anand Oram 90’ + 6’)

If there were any lingering doubts about Odisha’s competency in this tournament and their generosity as hosts, they were banished at the Kalinga Stadium today. The hosts ran riot against a Goa side that has leaked seven goals in two games now.  

Odisha opened the scoring in the 11th minute via Bikash Kumar Sahoo, and within half an hour were two up, and seemingly cruising to an easy win in front of a crowd that had gathered to watch them play. Right before halftime though, Goa struck, Mohammed Faheez converting a penalty to change Salim Pathan’s halftime team talk.

Where caution and stout defending may have been advised, Odisha felt better to attack. They controlled the ball, with ease and speed, constantly harried Goa and scored two more to ensure they cruised to an easy win. 

Punjab 4 (Kamaldeep 21’, Jaginder Singh 53’, Rohit Sheikh 71’, Parmjit Singh 90’ + 1’) 

beat

Maharashtra 3  (Armash Ansari 39’, Himanshu Patil 65’, Pavan Mali 69’)

In the most topsy-turvy game so far in the tournament, Punjab waited till injury time and a bit of luck to beat Maharashtra at the 7th Battalion ground today. Punjab opened the scoring in the 21st minute, only to be pegged back before halftime. Jaginder Singh struck eight minutes into the second half to give them the lead again, only for Himanshu Patil to equalise for Maharashtra, once more. The second equaliser rocked Punjab a bit and four minutes later Maharashtra had a third, and seemingly headed for a comeback win. 

That lead lasted for less time than the celebrations it sparked. Rohit Sheikh’s equaliser set up a perfect final ten minutes, with both teams going all guns blazing for the three points. Steven Dias’ team had already let three points slip away in their opener and they let all the points slip away again today conceding a late penalty that downed them, and left them languishing in Group A.