The Hindu : Sport : Tamil Nadu makes it to the pre-quarterfinals

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Thursday, Sep 28, 2006
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Tamil Nadu makes it to the pre-quarterfinals

Principal Correspondent

Karnataka blanks Nagaland 4-0 to qualify ahead of Gujarat

FARIDABAD: Tamil Nadu scored its third straight win in Cluster VIII to qualify for the pre-quarterfinal play-off against Delhi in the 61st National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy here on Wednesday.

Riding on the strikes by K. Kulothungan and skipper A. Jestus Antony, Tamil Nadu defeated Jharkhand 2-1 at the Sector 12 Sports Complex here after dominating the proceedings for most of the time. Jharkhand reduced the margin in the dying minutes of the match as Lal Mohan Hansda converted a penalty.

The pre-quarterfinal line-up was completed when Karnataka joined Chhattisgarh in the play-off at Gurgaon.

Karnataka defeated Nagaland 4-0 at the Gurgaon Sports Complex in a Cluster VI league match after the other two matches in this cluster ended without a goal being scored.

For TN, Raman Vijayan and Kulothungan attacked steadily, but did nothing flashy to arouse the referee's interest.

"We have improved consistently and are confident of giving a good fight to Delhi and make the quarterfinal league," said Tamil Nadu coach Soundararajan.

Apt reflection

A 2-0 result would have been an apt reflection of Tamil Nadu's calibre, but needless rough play in the closing minutes saw Jharkhand pull one back.

Playing positively from the start, Tamil Nadu controlled a rustic Jharkhand. P. Muthu was the first to give a flicker of hope for Tamil Nadu when he got a clear chance in the 33rd minute, but his feeble shot went straight to goalkeeper Mohammed Ali.

Raman Vijayan set up his Mohammedan Sporting teammate Kulothungan later in the 38th minute only to see him shoot it past a stretched Ali.

With the Tamil Nadu frontline relentless in attack, Jharkhand struggled to make forays. Frustration was writ large when Sakla Mardi made a dangerous attack on a Tamil Nadu defender that earned him his second yellow card of the match. His team was thus reduced to 10 men with 22 minutes remaining.

A good move by Kulothungan in the 71st minute was wasted when Vijayan and Muthu messed up the chance. But Muthu was quick to salvage that loss and set up his captain Antony two minutes later.

In an inconsequential league match in the same cluster here, Tripura defeated Uttaranchal 2-1 through Kiran Chetri's brace. Chetri struck in the 65th and 76th minutes before Rakesh Shah (83rd) reduced the margin for Uttaranchal.

At Gurgaon, Karnataka defeated Nagaland 4-0 to qualify ahead of Gujarat. Kuttimani scored in the 35th, 53rd and 74th minutes, while D. Raju netted in the 57th.

After Thursday's rest, the action resumes on Friday with two pre-quarterfinal play-offs.

Friday's fixture: At Faridabad: Delhi vs. Tamil Nadu; At Gurgaon: Karnataka vs. Chhattisgarh.

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