Karnataka rally to hold Bengal

Bengal struck as early as in the ninth second, even before the crowds could settle down into their seats. The ball kicked off by Raman Vijayan threaded its way past a host of rival players, towards James Singh, left unmarked near the right touchline. Singh, in turn, trapped it brilliantly, cut infield with long strides, and released a powerful 20 yard rising shot. The goalkeeper dived and blocked but was helpless as Dipankar Roy netted the rebound from close.

The goal, perhaps the fastest by an Indian, even eclipsed the 12th-second attempt by IM Vijayan against Bhutan in the last SAFF Cup. “We cannot say whether it’s a new mark or not, as the official statistics of the domestic soccer are not available for reference. It’s however, one among the quickest,” said the match officials.

The goal, however, did not signal the end of road for Karnataka. They were more venturesome on Monday, against a side which did not play much from the wings. Though Karnataka’s lateral backs and linkmen lacked the confidence to go deep and pull the ball back into the middle, the enthusiasm shown by Prakash and Xavier VIjaya Kumar was quite admirable.

For some strange reason, in the first half Karnataka did not come to grips with their rivals in the midfield. They allowed Dipankar and James Singh ample time and room to set up attacks without much hindrance. The duo came up with half a dozen of dangerous attempts inside the box, to cause panic in the Karnataka deep defence.

The holders, too, had a number of loose ends in their gameplan. They stretched themselves more markedly and also yielded the ball by kicking aimlessly.

Bengal, despite constant threats to their rearguard, added another goal in the 73rd when Raman Vijayan drove home a Basudev Mondol pass, from the top of the box. But their joy was short-lived.

Flattered by the 2-0 lead, Bengal left much space empty in the flanks, enabling their enterprising rivals to peep in frequently. Sunil Kumar glanced in a cracking header, after J Murali floated in a flagkick, to make it 1-2. The goal signalled the Karnataka revival, who added another goal six minutes later. This time, Prakash blasted home a Xavier cross from the right. Bengal, panicked by the quick goals, packed their defence tight, and avoided further blows.

Tuesday’s matches: Tamil Nadu vs Maharashtra, Kerala vs Services.