Double hat-trick by Mascarenhas

Gujarat and Jharkhand played out a 2-2 draw in the three-team Cluster V league match on the fourth day of the 60th Santosh Trophy, the National football championship, at the Chandrasekharan Nair stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday.

At half-time Gujarat led by a solitary goal, scored by Vishnu Chauhan in the fifth minute. He neatly connected a right flank ball from striker Mehul Rana.

In the second half, Jharkhand had the better of the exchanges and scored in the 48th minute through striker Vimal Pariyar.

Jharkhand went ahead in the 85th minute when Pariyar struck again off a pass from Prakash Khachap.

Gujarat drew level in the very next minute when Mehul Rana netted a fine cross from Radhanandan, catching the goalkeeper off-guard.

Gujarat played their substitute goalkeeper Murima Bilal, as George Mathew was suspended from the tournament for assaulting the referee on Saturday during their opening match defeat against Tamil Nadu.

In Kozhikode, Goa, riding on striker Freddy Mascarenhas' double hat-trick and a hat-trick from Nicholas Rodrigues, thrashed Tripura 15-0 in a cluster VII match.

The victors were 9-0 ahead at half-time.

Clifford Miranda gave them the lead when he neatly hit a free-kick into the net in the eighth minute. Then Anthony Pereira connected a pass from Mascarenhas in the 17th before the latter himself came up with a long range goal a minute later.

From then on, it was all Mascarenhas, who scored in the 22nd and 28th minute. Tripura's Rajib Ghosh was shown a red card for fouling Mahesh Gawli. Even as Nicholau Borges came up with a brace in the 35th and 38th minutes, both collected from right wing crosses from the mercurial Climax Lawrence, Mascarenhas took over again to register another hat-trick with goals in the 39th, 42nd and 54th minutes, the last one coming from a square pass in front of the box.

A minute later, Pereira completed a double when he stunned Tripura goalkeeper Sujat Ali.

Nicholas Rodrigues then picked up a hat-trick in the 63rd, 69th and 83rd minutes, the first one being a solo effort.

Finally, substitute Alvito Rodrigues scored in the last minute to complete Tripura's agony.