Karnataka, having got a fresh lease of life with that heart-stopping draw over Orissa, put Chandigarh in their place with a 5-1 drubbing in the Bharat Petroleum Santosh Trophy football championship (Group II quarter-final league) at the Nehru Stadium today.

It was a mismatch in every sense, quality taking a back seat thanks to the letharginess of the Chandigarh outfit. One could not make it whether it was nerves or the occasion which undid the Northern State as each minute conveyed one message -- they truly did not belong there.

Chandigarh never recovered from the starting problems. A weak clearance from Rajesh Sharma was to help Karnataka's cause again, as Xavier Vijayakumar shot it in. Prakash came good with the jump-and-head synchroniser for the third strike. SunilKumar's professional foul at his namesake could not fool referee K Shankar, who promptly flashed a yellow while signalling a penalty. Murali despatched it to the angle he intended (4-0). As a contest it was over but like the last flicker of a candle, Varinder Kanwar pulled one back.Chandigarh's agony was complete when substitute George ambled his way in to strike the final nail close to the hooter.