Nikhil brace powers Karnataka past Lakshadweep in Santosh Trophy qualifiers

Bengaluru: FC Bengaluru United’s Nikhil Raj scored twice in the first half while Karthik Govind Swamy’s late strike helped hosts Karnataka to a routine 3-0 win over Lakshadweep on Saturday to get their Santosh Trophy qualifying round campaign off to a good start at the Bangalore Football Stadium here.  

While Nikhil’s brace paved the way for the hosts to dominate the game without breaking sweat, Northeast United FC’s Macarton Louis Nickson squandered two easy chances to add to Karnataka’s tally. 

Ravi Babu Raju’s side went ahead as early as the eighth minute with Nikhil slotting a penalty past goalkeeper Mohammed Shameer Shaik.

Bengaluru FC product Chapamyum Rohen Singh almost doubled the hosts’ lead when a stunning solo effort saw him dribble past several Lakshadweep defenders, before cutting in and drilling the ball into the crossbar.

Bengaluru Colts’ Shreyas Ketkar, who recently won the Best Midfielder in this season’s KSFA Super Division League continued to press and apply pressure. Some sloppy work from the visitors then saw them giving the ball away to Nikhil, who delightfully played a ball to Macarton, but the 21-year-old failed to put the ball into an open net. 

Nikhil doubled his tally as an impressive Rohen beat two defenders from the edge of the box for the skipper to tap it in as Karnataka went into the break with a two-goal cushion.

There was, however, no respite for Lakshadweep in the second half as a poor pass from the back was converted into a Karnataka chance, but Godwin Johnson’s strike went straight to the keeper. 

Lakshadweep, to their credit, forced Karnataka to take a step back with their glimpses of attacking promise and were also denied a close penalty shout. 

The visitors, who had kept Karnataka quiet throughout the 45 minutes in the second half, saw their resolve broken in stoppage time, as Karthik scored in the 93rd minute. 

While a sloppy Karnataka, who missed a few good chances, did seal the deal, they could be in for a tougher challenge when they meet Services on Monday. 

Results: Karnataka: 3 (Nikhil Raj Murugesh Kumar 8th pen, 43rd, Karthik Govind Swamy 90th+3) bt Lakshadweep: 0; Services: 4 (Abhishek Pawar 59th, 64th, Roashan Panna 59th, 64th) bt Goa: 0.