The day started with a twist as Andaman & Nicobar pulled out of the tournament due to an alleged financial crunch but the inaugural match was devoid of any. It panned out as expected.
Tamil Nadu beat Telangana 3-0 riding on Raegan’s brace in the South Zone Santosh Trophy qualifiers at the Nehru stadium here on Tuesday. The home team made the first half its own, making the most of the possession while Telangana flailed, save for the odd, useless forays.
Fifteen minutes into the game, Raegan peeled off and scored the first goal when the opposition went off-guard, even if slightly, as Soosai Raj went down from a tackle on the outside-right. Midfielder Karthick then added to the scoreline as Tamil Nadu went into the break safe and seemingly secure. The second half was no different; except that Telangana made a more concerted attempt to wrest control and perhaps, the game from the host. Raegan, though, added one more to his name and closed it out.
For Tamil Nadu, the chemistry between Soosai and Raegan was hard to miss; the telepathic transactions screamed a rapport farmed and long-sustained. Indeed, they hail from the same district and play for Chennai City FC in the city league.
Not that the winners were near perfect; they had their fair bit of floundering for the coach to rue later. “I would’ve liked to see those chances converted too,” he said in an apparent reference to Raegan’s wasted opportunity in the first half — his shot, with only the goalkeeper to beat, went painfully amiss.
The result: Tamil Nadu 3 (A. Raegan 15, 88, S. Karthick 38) bt Telangana 0.
Wednesday’s matches: Services vs. Puducherry; Karnataka vs. Andhra Pradesh.
