Chhattisgarh pulled off a surprise by defeating Sikkim 1-0 in a Cluster VI encounter of the 64th senior National football championship for the Santosh Trophy at the Mohun Bagan ground here on Friday. Chhattisgarh striker Wasim Raja scored the all-important goal to give his side a chance to make it to the pre-quarterfinals.
In the two Cluster V matches, Delhi notched up its second successive win downing Uttar Pradesh 2-0 while Madhya Pradesh overcame Arunachal Pradesh 3-1.
Playing its first match of the tournament, Chhattisgarh gained from a red card in the second minute when Sikkim defender Nirmal Chetri was sent off. Chetri came up with a severe tackle prompting referee Deepak Dey of Assam to flash the card.
Chhattisgarh made the most of its numerical superiority earning the lead in the 30th minute when Raja found the Sikkim net after Subir Majhi reached the former with a measured cross that foxed the opponent defence.
Missed chance
Sikkim could well have found the lead early but for poor marksmanship of Engphohang Subba, who squandered a 28th-minute penalty with a feeble attempt that was easily saved by Chhattisgarh custodian Partha Dey. Having found the lead Chhattisgarh sewed up its defence and preserved the scoreline successfully to ensure full three points from the match.
Sikkim's loss came as a big disappointment for India captain Baichung Bhutia, who was present at the ground to support his home team. Bhutia, who had cut short his stay in the Asian Cup preparatory camp in Portugal after being diagnosed with a thyroid problem, said Chetri's unfortunate ejection tilted the scale in favour of Chhattisgarh.
While Sikkim completed its league engagements with a win and a loss, Chhattisgarh has one more match to play. A draw against a modest Haryana side in the concluding cluster encounter will see Chhattisgarh through to the next round.
Delhi brightened its pre-quarterfinal prospects, picking up its second successive win with a 2-0 verdict against Uttar Pradesh at the Khardah Stadium. With one more round to go, Delhi topped Cluster V with full six points and looks certain to hold its position.
Delhi, after a hesitant start, found the target twice in the second session to clinch the win. Tuishim Mashangva scored in the 60th minute and Bhuvan Joshi made it 2-0 converting a penalty in the 78th minute to seal the issue.
The results:
Group V: Delhi 2 (Tuishim Mashangva, Bhuvan Joshi) bt Uttar Pradesh 0; Madhya Pradesh 3 (Neelesh Pilai 61, Javed Manihar 2) bt Arunachal Pradesh (Rallo Raj Kumar).
Group VI: Chhattisgarh 1 (Wasim Raja) bt Sikkim 0.
