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Mizoram edged past Punjab, 2-1, in a pulsating encounter and, ended up victorious to qualify for the Semi-Finals in the Howrah Stadium. Karnataka eliminated Odisha in yet another 2-1 win in the Rabindra Sarobar Stadium on Saturday, in the Santosh Trophy. Sportskeeda looks at how both the games panned out.
Match 1: Punjab 1-2 Mizoram
Mizoram started on a promising note as they looked for an early goal but the Punjab keeper Moses Anthony, came out with some good saves to deny the strike pair of Lalrinpuia and Lalremruata early on.
The North Indian side could not sustain for long and eventually, gave way and conceded two early goals. Lalremruata scored twice in quick succession to give Mizoram a 2 goal advantage.
Ruata latched on to Lalbiakhlua's pass and slotted home the game's first. Ruata's second goal came in similar fashion. He received a peach of a through ball from Dawangliana to find the back of the net.
The early lead within 10 minutes put Mizoram in the driver's seat as they kept on creating goal scoring chances, but could not find the net. Punjab, who looked mostly listless in the first half, also created some good opportunities to reduce the margin but failed to score, as the first half ended 2-0.
Punjab kept on pressing high in the second half and were finally rewarded when a cross from the right flank went past every Mizoram defender to, Jitendra. The tall striker calmly placed it beyond the reach of Mizoram goalkeeper to reduce the deficit down to one.
Punjab increased their pressure up front and dominated the second half. Mizoram keeper Laltanpuia Ralte had to pull off some fine saves to keep the scoreline intact. Lackluster finishing by the Mizoram strikers also did not help them increase their lead further.
Mizoram had the chance to make it three after getting a penalty, courtesy of Lalrinpuia being brought down, but Moses pulled off a save to keep the scores same.
The game ended 2-1 and Mizoram qualify for the semi-finals.
Mizoram will face Armando Colaco's Goa in their final league match on March 28 at Mohun Bagan Ground while, Punjab will take on Karnataka on March 26 at Howrah.
Match 2: Karnataka 2-1 Odisha
Odisha had to win the match to remain in contention for the semi-finals. Odisha began the match on a positive note with a few good moves upfront. The Karnataka side had a slow start but started building up the pitch from the back patiently.
Odisha showed signs of urgency to find the net early in the game, leaving them vulnerable at the back. The East Indian side were punished for committing half of their team up front in the 26th minute, as winger Leon Augustine ran almost 30 yards down the middle and slotted the ball home. He went past four defenders to score a brilliant solo goal.
Odisha restored parity late in the first half after Kartika Bhola floated a corner inside the box which was headed in by Captain Nayak. Two teams went into the break level pegging.
Karnataka looked the better side in the second half and, had many chances at goal. Odisha defense looked shaky and finally crumbled under the pressure at the 81st Minute.
Rajesh S then scored the winning goal for the Southern state in the 87th minute. Gunashekar Vignesh entered the Odisha box from the left side and squared the ball for Rajesh. The striker pushed the ball into an empty net to seal crucial three points for his side.
Odisha are out of the semi-final race after falling to their third successive defeat. Karnataka, on the other hand, are second in the group and are very much in contention for a last-four spot.
