Santosh Trophy 2024: Bengal qualify for quater-finals; Jammu hold Manipur

All teams fought well in the Santosh Trophy games.

Bengal secured themselves a spot in the quarter-finals of the 78th Senior National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy 2024-25, with a 2-0 win against Rajasthan, while Jammu & Kashmir held Manipur to a 1-1 draw in Group A at the Deccan Arena on Wednesday, December 18, 2024.

The 32-time champions are now on nine points from three matches. Manipur are on seven from three, and Jammu & Kashmir earned their first point this season in the final rounds.

Bengal make short work of Rajasthan

Bengal scored on either side of the half-time break to defeat Rajasthan 2-0, a victory that secured them a top for spot in Group A, and a place in the quarter-finals of the Santosh Trophy.

Rabilal Mandi (45’) opened the scoring just minutes before the half-time whistle, as he pulled the trigger from long distance to plant his snapshot in the bottom corner.

Bengal began the second half with an intent to bury any of Rajasthan’s hopes for a comeback. Five minutes into the second period, Naro Hari Shreshtha surged up the right flank and cut a low cross across the face of the goal. Supriya Pandit arrived on time to get his shot away, but Rajasthan goal keeper Gaurav Kumar Singh prevented the Bengal forward from troubling the scorers.

Mandi turned from scorer to provider just minutes later, when his cross from the right was nodded into the goal by Shreshtha (56’), doubling Bengal’s lead.

Rajasthan did show some urgency after the second goal, pegging the Bengal defenders in their own half. Amit Godara had perhaps the best opportunity of the match, when he managed to get his shot away from within a rather crowded Bengal box, but it ricochetted between a few Bengal legs before being cleared.

Shreshtha had an opportunity to further extend Bengal’s lead just minutes before the long whistle, when substitute Abusufan SK layed a square pass off for the forward. His shot, however, looped kindly over the cross-bar. Rajasthan, after this result, remain on a single point from three matches.

Manipur held by Jammu & Kashmir

Jammu & Kashmir earned their first points of the 2024-25 Santosh Trophy final rounds after an injury-time equaliser against Manipur in a 1-1 draw. Manipur led 1-0 at the break.

Manipur, who came into the match with on the back of two wins against defending champions Services (1-0) and Rajasthan (2-1), would have had one foot in the quarter-finals with a win against Jammu & Kashmir. After a strong start, Naoroibam Romen Singh (45+2’) put them in the lead in the first half injury time, as he flicked a Shunjanthan Ragui free-kick with his head, into the goal.

The side from the northeast maintained pressure on Jammu & Kashmir throughout the second half, Loyangamba Meitei Akoijam coming close to extending their lead a couple of times. On both occasions, he received cut-backs from the wings in the box, but failed to capitalise on the opportunities.

The misses cost them hard later on, as Aakif Javaid equalised in injury time, nodding in a corner, to level the scores. Buoyed by the equaliser, Jammu & Kashmir began to put pressure on the Manipur defence by overloading their box. The Manipur defenders did have some nervy moments in injury time, but managed to hold on to the draw in the end. Manipur, with this result, move to seven points from three matches.

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