Karnataka edge out Jharkhand

R Mohan scored the all-important goal for the hosts in the 75th minute after latching on to a pass from Anwar Hussain.

In another match,Punjab rode on Gagandeep Singh’s goal to edge out Tamil Nadu 1-0 and register their second successive win in the last-eight league. Gagandeep headed in a free-kick from Tarun Taneeja in the 74th minute.

While Punjab sit pretty on top of Group A with six points, Jharkhand and Karnataka are tied on three apiece with the former having a better goal average.

Karnataka will lock horns with already eliminated Tamil Nadu (0 points) in their final quarterfinal league match on Monday with Punjab and Jharkhand battling each other the same day.

Delighted at defeating the so far unbeaten holders, Karnataka coach Saravanan said the team displayed great improvement after the loss to Punjab on Thursday. “The entire team played really well today. The boys were getting frustated after failing to break the ice but they kept their cool in ekeing out a hard-fought win.

“We missed two easy chances in the first half. However, the result has re-ignited our hopes and we will be going all out against Tamil Nadu on Monday. We hope to slam in as many goals as possible in case goal difference comes into play.”

Results:

Quarterfinal league: Group A: Karnataka: 1 (R Mohan 75th) bt Jharkhand: 0; Punjab: 1 (Gagandeep Singh 74th) bt Tamil Nadu: 0.