Hosts Kerala beat West Bengal 5-4 in a penalty shootout at the Payyanad Stadium in Malappuram to win the Santosh Trophy National Tournament for the seventh time. In a thrilling final, last evening, that kept the 35,000 odd spectators on tenterhooks, both teams ended the 90 minutes action into a goalless draw, following which, the match headed into the extra time.
The teams were level 1-1 after extra-time in a pulsating encounter. Two terrific headers from Dilip Orwan of West Bengal and Kerala’s Muhammed Safnad in extra-time took the game to penalties. In the tie-breaker, Kerala converted all their shots while Bengal’s Sajal Bag missed his, resulting in the hosts lifting the title.
This is the first win for Kerala on home soil since 1993. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan congratulated the Kerala football team for winning the Santosh Trophy.
Topics
Santosh Trophy Kerala Bengal Football Sports Kolkata
Bengali