Maharashtra hold Goa

Bangalore, June 2: It was a typical Bengal win. The reigning champions let a fighting Karnataka run the show for 70 minutes before blazing ...

Bangalore, June 2: It was a typical Bengal win. The reigning champions let a fighting Karnataka run the show for 70 minutes before blazing out of their shadows with an avalanche of attacks. One of those thrusts earned Bengal the match-winner too, in an exciting Group A encounter on the opening day of the National Games soccer competition here today.

Earlier, a youthful Goa fought gallantly to hold mighty Maharashtra to a goalless draw in the Group B.

Karnataka settled down quickly against Bengal, with linkmen swapping positions and moving the ball along the ground with shallow midfield diagonals. Yoganathan was firm as a defensive linkman in front of his stoppers while Kadiravan and Najib frequently flitted into spaces behind rivals.

At the other end, Bengal packed the defence and let Karnataka advance while patiently waiting for a chance to counter-attack. In the 17th minute, Bengal won a ball in the middle and stretched the rival defence with three crisp passes. It was these rare Bengal thrusts that caused anxiety at the rival deep defence in the first session.

Still, Karnataka were never outnumbered or out of position on defence throughout that half. They forced Bengal to bank on long and high crosses into their penalty area 8212; the kind of style the lanky Karnataka defenders thrived on.

Yoganathan positioned himself beneath a Suresh cross from the right to lunge forward and head straight into the goalkeeper8217;s gloves when the match was 30 minutes old. Soma Philips followed it with a rising shot from 25 yards, which rocked the woodwork.

Bengal, with hardly any familiar faces in the line-up, struggled hard to contain the Karnataka strikers, Kadiravan and Sri Kumar, who spelt danger whenever left unmarked.

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The tension in the Bengal camp was evident in the hasty and almost panicky release of long, inaccurate passes. Bhema Rao8217;s thrustful running further rattled a creaky Bengal defence.

Further agony was in store for Bengal when referee S.G Hegde disallowed a fine attempt by Najimul Haque that bulged the net. But Haque made amends in the 70th minute, hammering home a Falguni Dutta pass from the left.

Against Goa, the Maharashtra enjoyed a charmed life throughout the first session. The former 8212; with Jules Dias and Alvito Pereira providing skilful touches in the middle to balance the drive of Sanaton Singh and Salvador D8217;Cruz 8212; scythed through a porous Maharashtra defence.

Goa opened the attack when Sanaton took advantage of the slackness in the Maharashtra defence with a searing run. Then again, the Maharashtra keeper had to dive to his left to fist away a similar effort by Sanaton in the 24th. Tuesday8217;s matches: Punjab v Delhi; Kerala v Manipur.