Kolkata: Super-sub Narohari Shrestha's late strike saw Bengal edge past a spirited Uttarakhand 1-0 in a Santosh Trophy Group A match at the Dhakuakhana Football Stadium in Assam on Friday. This was Bengal's second win in as many matches that placed them second behind Rajasthan. The latter recorded a 1-0 victory against Tamil Nadu to take pole position with a better goal difference, but with the same number of points (6) as that of Bengal.
In the other match of the day, Assam rallied to hold Nagaland 3-3.
Uttarakhand produced a sparkling display to keep Bengal at bay for 97 minutes, but just when a draw seemed the likely result, Narohari came off the bench to produce a beautiful finish when he chested down a ball inside the box and fired a right-footer on the turn that took shelter in the top left corner of the net.
Uttarakhand kept the 33-time champion side at bay denying Bengal space in the middle, and launched quick attacks on the flanks. They even created some chances but failed to convert.