JOIN USStephen’s hat-trick powered Karnataka to a 4-1 win over Daman and Diu in a Cluster B match of the 67th National football championship for the Santosh Trophy at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium here on Tuesday.
This was Karnataka’s second successive win after having drubbed Himachal Pradesh 5-1 in their opening match.
S Rajesh, who netted three goals against Himachal, put Karnataka ahead in the 25th minute before Stephen doubled the lead in the 39th minute.
Immediately after the break, Daman and Diu pulled one back through Sanjib Kumar (49th).
However, Stephen struck again in the 62nd minute. The South United forward completed his hat-trick and Karnataka’s tally with a goal nine minutes from time.
Karnataka, who have six points from two matches, next face Arunachal Pradesh on Saturday.
The four-time champions meet Bihar in their final league match a couple of days later.