BHUBANESWAR
A clinical Karnataka beat Goa 2-0, while Punjab edged hosts Odisha 2-1.
In the day's third game, defending champions Kerala came from behind to draw 4-4 with Maharashtra and keep their hopes to qualify for the knockouts alive.
The semi-finals, third-place play-off and final will be played in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from March 1-4.
The top two sides from each of the six-team two groups will make it to the semi-finals.
In the first match of the day, Punjab found the target through Jang Bahadur Singh (75th) and Kamaldeep (82nd) while Odisha pulled one back through Anand Oram (90+3).
Punjab now need one win from their remaining two matches -- against Kerala and Goa -- to make it to the semi-finals.
In the second match of the day, Karnataka beat Goa 2-0 through goals from Jacob John Kattookaren (33rd) and Abhishek Shankar Powar (50th).
Kerala then scraped a point by coming back from a three-goal deficit in a high-scoring encounter at Kalinga Stadium in the third match of the day.
Sufiyan Sheikh (17th), Himanshu Patil (20th), Sumit Bhandari (34th) and Tejas Raut (42nd) scored for Maharashtra while Vishak Mohanan (38th), Nijo Gilbert (66th), V Arjun (70th) and John Paul Jose (77th) found the target for Kerala.
Goan football fraternity upset with results
CHARLES D'SOUZA
MARGAO: The entire State was saddened and shocked by the news of Goa losing to Karnataka and virtually crashing out of Group A.
If the back-to-back Goa defeats were hard for the Goan football enthusiasts, this was something unexpected and unimaginable for the passionate Goans who have now started to doubt Goa’s progress in the Beautiful Game.
While that was in Odisha, thousands of kilometres down, former president of GFA, Elvis Gomes was shocked knowing the result.
"3 matches, 3 losses, last against Karnataka in Santosh Trophy. Goa’s exit worst performance in recent years. Crores of tax payer’s money spent in the name of football goes unaccounted," said Elvis Gomes.
Levino Anthony Pereira, former State coach was also unhappy with the result.
"It's a result which we least expected. We are sad about the result and the exit from the Santosh Trophy,” he said.
"We must prepare the team next year. Short camp will not serve the purpose. We must plan and scout the players to prepare for Santosh Trophy," Pereira added.
