Y.B. Sarangi
AHMEDABAD
Captain Narohari Shrestha scored a magnificent hat-trick as West Bengal thrashed Kerala 5-0 in the men’s football final to win the gold in the National Games at the EKA Arena Transstadia here on Tuesday.
Robi Hansda and Amit Chakraborty also found the mark for West Bengal, which claimed the top honour after 11 years.
Coached by former India striker Biswajit Bhattacharya, West Bengal dominated the proceedings after scoring the opener against the run of play in the 16th minute.
Hansda pounced on a loose ball, but his shot was blocked by Kerala custodian Midhun V. Nevertheless, Hansda tapped in the rebound to put Bengal ahead.
After Kerala wasted a few chances, Shrestha unleashed a 25-yard shot to extend the lead. He took advantage of another defensive lapse to make it 3-0 just before the half-time.
Minutes after resumption, Shrestha completed his hat-trick with a header. Defender Amit added to Kerala’s misery by netting the fifth goal in the 85th minute.
The results (men): Final: West Bengal 5 (Robi Handsa 16, Narohari Shrestha 30, 45+6, 52, Amit Chakraborty 85) bt Kerala 0.
Bronze medal match: Services 4 (Sunil B. 2, N. Sureh Meitei 7, Sreyas V.G. 13, Liton Shil 57) bt Karnataka 0.
