Karnataka qualify for final round

Bengaluru: Karnataka scored  a convincing 2-0 victory over  Telangana to finish with an allwin record and sail into the final  round of the 75th Santosh Trophy football championship.

It was a virtual final between  Karnataka and Telangana  as both sides had a chance to  qualify, though Karnataka only  needed a draw.

As early as the 10th minute, a  marauding run by Vignesh Gunashekar was illegally halted  by two defenders just inside the  box and referee Mithun Kundu  pointed to the spot.

Midfielder Solamalai scored  and the hosts were 1-0 up. Bavu  Nishad scored another goal at  the 74 minute.

Telangana fought bravely  though Karnataka enjoyed a  better share of the exchanges. It  took them 74 minutes to get their  second goal. Bavu Nishad put  home a rebound to help hosts  Karnataka finish with 9 points  from three games.

In another game in the morning of this Group A event played  at the Bangalore Football Stadium, Tamil Nadu scored a 1-0 win  over Andhra Pradesh to finish  second in the four-team group  with 6 points.