Helped by a hat-trick from Sharanjit Kaur, Punjab defeated Karnataka 4-0, while Kerala beat Goa 2-1 to enter the semi-finals of the 11th National women's football championship in Chennai on Thursday.
Punjab completely toyed with Karnataka and did not have to exert themselves much. Sharanjit scored the first three goals (17th, 44th and 45th minutes), before striker Gurmeet Kaur made it 4-0 in the 75th minute.
In an earlier match, Kerala went into the lead through Angel Adolphes (39th minute). Subitha Poovatta increased the lead in the 10th minute of the second-half. Sharon Fernandes reduced the margin for Goa in the 61st minute, following a free-kick by stocky Maria A F Gomes.
Kerala could have won by a bigger margin, but lacked finish on a number of occasions.
A qualifier to the last eight, Kerala now join defending champion Manipur and twice former champions Bengal in the last four with a clean slate.
If Kerala repeat their performance against Bengal in the semi-finals on Sunday, they can reach the final. The fourth team to the semi-finals will be spotted tomorrow.
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