Bengaluru beat Kerala in ISL tie
Bengaluru: Miku and Udanta Singh produced two superb late finishes to give Bengaluru FC a 2-0 win over Kerala Blasters in the Indian Super League match at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here on Thursday.
This means that last year's finalists Kerala failed to make the Indian Super League semifinals this season while debutants Bengaluru finished firmly on top with a mammoth 40 points.
Miku ran onto Daniel Segovia's flick and finished into the far corner an exceptionally controlled shot from a tricky angle.
Udanta then decided to cut in with the time afforded to him and smashed a left-footer past Paul Rachubka as Bengaluru FC scored two stoppage time goals.
Both players could have scored earlier had they not missed glorious chances in the second half.
Udanta failed to hit the target when all it needed was the right connection with his header after a brilliant cross from Toni Dovale.
Then it was Miku who raced through on goal but chose to strike from an awkward angle rather than lay it off for Allwyn George who had made a fine run. The ball whipped past the far post.
Things could have been different had Kerala Blasters taken their chances. CK Vineeth had the chance to test Gurpreet Singh seconds after Miku's initial miss but his shot was blocked as he took too long to pull the trigger.
Sunil Chhetri made his intentions clear as early as the 11th minute when his brilliant strike from 30 yards out just crept past the goal.
Kerala immediately replied with a chance of their own but Milan Singh completely missed his shy at goal from Jackichand Singh's cross.
Jackichand's lively presence was missed after the 25th minute when he had to go off for a groin injury.
Soon enough, his replacement Prasanth K was the recipient of a fine cross from Sandesh Jhingan but failed to work the goalkeeper.
It was a cagey half which ended with Blasters keeper Paul Rachubka putting his body on the line to stop Nishu Kumar scoring. Kumar was through on goal and only a timely intervention stopped him.
Chhetri had another attempt near the hour mark but couldn't direct it into the net and the second half was more about when the Blasters would start throwing men forward in numbers.
When they eventually attacked Bengaluru, the home side tried to exploit the spaces left behind. They started pumping crosses into the box with Dovale and Dimas Delgado afforded spaces out wide.
Kerala resisted but finally gave way when Miku scored a minute after four minutes of stoppage time were added. And then Udanta added to their misery.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
