Telangana stumble in Santosh Trophy

Chennai: Tamil Nadu did well to post a 3-0 win against Telangana in the inaugural match of the Santosh Trophy south zone qualifiers here on Tuesday but the hosts could have done better.

A. Raegan’s love affair with the national football championship continued as the top scorer of the 2014 edition struck a brace besides setting up the third in a comprehensive win for Tamil Nadu in Group ‘A’.

The opener had a historical significance as Telangana, the youngest state in the Indian union, played their maiden match in the Santosh Trophy. Coach E.S. Shyam would not have minded the defeat but he, certainly, would have expected his team to put up a stiffer fight. Never once did Telangana threaten to open their account.

Tamil Nadu were the superior team from start to finish but their failure to win by a bigger margin became the talking point after the final whistle.