Santosh Trophy 2024: Manipur triumph 5-2 against Delhi to reach semi-finals

Manipur are just the second team after West Bengal to book their semi-final slot.

A brilliant second half comeback and subsequent extra time heroics from Shunjanthan Ragui sealed Manipur’s berth in the Santosh Trophy semi-finals. The 2002-03 winners beat Delhi 5-2 in a high-scoring encounter after the regulation time ended in a 2-2 draw.

While Jaideep Singh scored both the goal for Delhi, Man of the Match Shunjanthan Ragui was Manipur’s star performer with two-extra time goals. LT Lowly, Sagar Singh and Zahir Khan were the other scorers for the winners, who made the semi-finals for the fifth time.

The opener arrived in favour of Delhi in the 10th minute, in a circuitous way, via route one. Lamlallian’s free kick from the left was met by a weak punch from Salam Sanaton Singh in Manipur’s goal. The ball flew straight up in the air, and forward Jaideep Singh, rushed in to connect on a free header into the goal. 

The break for half time shifted the pendulum completely in the other direction. In a two-minute blitz early in the second half, substitute Shoraisham Sagar Singh seemed to have turned the game on its head. First, the forward’s glancing header from a corner bounced off LT Lowly’s thigh to draw them level in the 49th minute. And a minute later, Sagar produced a moment of magic to give them the lead.

Picking the ball on the right wing from a throw-in, Sagar drifted towards the corner of the box before letting fly. His effort curled and dipped over and under a flapping Vansh Kaushal to put Manipur in front.  

Delhi drew level in the 65th minute, after Manipur gave away a penalty with a foul inside the box. Jaideep put the spot kick away calmly to grab his second of the game.  

In the fourth minute of extra time Manipur had the lead, purely due to individual brilliance again. The ball, cleared off a corner, bounced in front of Shunjanthan Ragui at the top of the box. The defender displayed marvellous poise to adjust his feet and smack a volley straight into the roof of the net. Kaushal had no chance.

Ragui extended the lead with a coolly taken penalty right at the end of the first period of extra time, with Manipur set on their way to the next round.   Delhi looked deflated and Manipur twisted the knife. Right at the start of the second period, Ragui was the centre of it again, his curled cross from the right expertly headed in by Zahir Khan to extend them into a three-goal lead.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.