Bhubaneswar: Defending champions Kerala rallied from a 1-4 deficit to play out a thrilling 4-4 draw in a Group A match of the Santosh Trophy final round here on Tuesday.
Kerala, who trailed 1-4 at half-time, hit back in the second period of play to earn a point.
Punjab beat hosts Odisha 2-1, while Karnataka beat Goa 2-0 to post their second wins.
Kerala have four points from three matches. Karnataka and Punjab lead the group with seven points from three games. Odisha have four points, while Maharashtra have two. Goa are yet to open their tally having lost all three of their games.
Dream start for Maharashtra
Sufiyan Shaikh put Maharashtra ahead in the 17th minute, while Himanshu Patel made it 2-0 three minutes later.
Kerala looked headed for a second successive loss when Sumit Bhandari scored Maharashtra's third goal in the 34th minute.
Visakh Mohanan pulled one back for Kerala in the 38th minute. However, Shaikh restored the three-goal advantage for Maharashtra in the 42nd.
Nijo Gilbert gave Kerala a lifeline by converting a penalty in the 66th.
Arjun made it 3-4 in the 70th, while John Paul scored the equaliser in the 77th to salvage a draw.
Kerala next meet Odisha on Friday (3 pm).
The top two will advance to the semifinals.
