Punjab, Goa to clash in final

Punjab moved into the final of the National Games men's football tournament, beating Services 2-1 in a thriller on Wednesday night.

The match-winner came via a golden goal.

They will meet Goa, who overcame defending champions Maharashtra in sudden-death 7-6 in the other semi-final.

The Punjab-Services encounter was an absorbing match but it ended in a scuffle between the losers and the referee as Services contested the referee's decision to award the golden goal to Punjab.

It was Punjab who scored first. Manjinder Singh's long shot from the left, in the 16th minute, was trapped by Gurjeet Singh and despatched home.

Services tried some long shots at the Punjab goal to equalise but without success. Services restored parity in te 13th minute of the second session following a free-kick from just outside the penalty area on the right. Saroj gently tapped the ball and Amar Bahadur's shot at goal foxed the Punjab 'keeper.

In extra-time both teams slowed down the pace though Punjab held more possssion and broke the deadlock in the 10th minute. A floater from the left was headed by Sukhjeet Singh to Hardeep Singh Saini, who bulged the net to seal his side's berth in the final.

In the first semi-final Maharashtra and Goa played a listless game. After 90 minutes of regular play and extra-time did not produce any result the tie-breaker was enforced. After the mandatory five shots at the goal both teams were tied 4-4. Then in sudden-death, Goa's Domnic Noronha scored while Narendra Metei of Maharashtra missed to give Goa a 7-6 victory.