'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Kerala pipped past a lacklustre West Bengal side while Maharashtra thrashed Manipur in the last round of fixtures in Group A.
The victory over Bengal meant that Kerala has now won four games on the trot.
Both teams had already qualified for the semi-finals prior to the last round and hence, there was not much at stake.
However, both teams would have wanted the victory to keep the momentum and the momentum going.
Kerala, having won all of their group matches, finished at the top with 12 points. West Bengal finished in the second spot with nine points to their name.
It was a very cagey affair indeed as it took the best part of 87 minutes for Kerala to take the lead via Rahul KP.
The strike was so late in the day, literally, no time was left for Bengal to get back into the game.
Maharashtra end their campaign on a high
Elsewhere, Manipur took on Maharashtra with not much but pride and self-respect to play for. And it turned out to be an absolute disaster for Manipur as Maharashtra battered them 7-2.
Manipur actually enjoyed a very good start to the game as they took the lead in the 17th minute courtesy of Chanso Haram.
Maharashtra soon equalised through Sahil Bhokare in the 28th minute. Dhananjay Singh’s effort from the penalty spot put Manipur back into the driving seat at the 40th-minute mark as Manipur went into the halftime break well on top of Maharashtra.
However, it was the Ranjit Singh show in the second half as Maharashtra scored six in the second half. Singh levelled things up in the 59th minute.
Nikhil Prabhu put Maharashtra into the lead in the 76th minute. Kiran Pandhare (86th) and Naiqur Ansari (90+3) also joined the act with one goal each.
However, it was the hat-trick hero Ranjit Singh (28th, 77th and 90th) who was the star of the show.
The victory meant that Maharashtra ended their campaign in the third spot whereas Manipur finished rock bottom with just a single point to show for their efforts.
