Hyderabad, Dec 25 (NationPress) Among the 36 states and two institutional teams entering the competition, only eight teams are left in the 'City of Pearls', all aiming for the sought-after Santosh Trophy, revered as the crown jewel of India’s National Football Championship since its inception in 1941. With the knockout stage scheduled over two days from Thursday, these teams are primed for intense competition.

The upcoming match pits the defending champions Services against the 2022-23 runners-up Meghalaya, promising an intriguing contest. Services, looking to retain the title for the first time since 2015-16, had a rocky start, losing 0-1 to Manipur. However, they rebounded with three consecutive and convincing victories, only to be setback by a defeat against West Bengal, ultimately finishing third in Group A.

Meghalaya also struggled initially, with a draw against Tamil Nadu and a loss to Kerala. Yet, they found their rhythm and secured victories over Delhi and Goa to clinch a quarterfinal spot. After a disappointing exit in the final round group stage last season, Hering Shangpliang's team has shown significant improvement this time.

A goalless draw against Odisha marked Meghalaya's third straight clean sheet, indicating a tightly contested battle for the last semifinal berth. A similar scenario unfolded when these two teams clashed in the 2023-24 season, where Services narrowly triumphed with a 1-0 victory via a last-minute penalty. Meanwhile, Bengal and Odisha, who have had contrasting outcomes in the final rounds of the 78th National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy, are set to clash at the Deccan Arena.

Bengal, boasting 32 championship titles, appear to be the favorites on paper. They topped Group A with 13 points, scoring 20 goals in eight matches while conceding just one. The sole goal against them came during their first match of the final rounds, a 3-1 win over Jammu and Kashmir in Group A. Coached by Sanjoy Sen, the team has gone 371 minutes without conceding a goal. Attacker Robi Hansda leads the scoring charts with eight goals in the 2024-25 Santosh Trophy.

In contrast, Odisha barely advanced as the fourth-best team in Group B, accumulating five points with just one victory against former champions Goa (2-0). Kartik Hantal has been a key player for Odisha, netting five goals in the tournament thus far.

The 2002-03 Santosh Trophy Champions, Manipur, have shown consistency while remaining under the radar in the final rounds. They secured a late win against bottom-placed Telangana and achieved commendable results against defending champions Services (1-0) and group leaders Bengal (0-0).

Delhi had a promising start to their final rounds but have since faltered, suffering a 0-2 loss to Meghalaya, followed by defeats to Kerala (0-3) and a draw against Goa. Historically, Delhi won their only Santosh Trophy title over 80 years ago in 1944 and has frequently reached the quarterfinals and semifinals but has never advanced further.

Jammu and Kashmir, who placed fourth in Group A, face a daunting challenge against the high-scoring and unbeaten Group B champions, Kerala. The seven-time champions, who last won in 2021-22, have scored an impressive 29 goals in eight matches this season. Both Naseeb Rahman and Muhammad Ajsal are in excellent form, each netting six goals.

Alongside West Bengal and Manipur, they remain one of the few unbeaten teams. After securing the top position with a match to spare, head coach Biby Thomas rotated the squad for their last game against Tamil Nadu, ensuring fresher legs for the quarterfinal.

Jammu and Kashmir, making their first final round appearance since 2015-16, are pleased to have reached this stage in 2024-25. Unlike Kerala, they clinched their quarterfinal spot on the final matchday with a win over Rajasthan. Their ability to recover from heavy defeats in their initial two games against West Bengal and Services deserves recognition. Although they have conceded only once in their last three games, it remains to be seen how they will contain the offensively potent Kerala side.