West Bengal and Services Achieve Stunning Wins in Santosh Trophy

Hyderabad, Dec 16 (NationPress) West Bengal and Services achieved impressive victories in Group A of the concluding round of the 78th National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy at the Deccan Arena on Monday.

West Bengal upheld their dominance at the top of the standings with a 3-0 victory over hosts Telangana, marking their second consecutive win, while defending champions Services finally found their rhythm, securing a 4-0 victory against Jammu & Kashmir.

Jammu & Kashmir remains at the bottom of the table, failing to earn any points from two matches. Telangana sits fifth, with a single point garnered from their draw against Rajasthan on the opening day.

The cautious and defensive approach from Telangana managed to restrain West Bengal until the 39th minute. Robi Hansda capitalized on a mishit clearance inside the box and fired it into the bottom corner for the opening goal. This marked Hansda's eighth goal of the Santosh Trophy campaign, allowing him to surpass Tamil Nadu's Lijo K and claim the top-scorer title.

Narohari Shrestha added to the tally with a brilliant glancing header that found the roof of the net just before halftime. He continued his excellent scoring streak, netting his third goal of the final round and West Bengal's third of the match in the 56th minute. After receiving a through ball from Rabilal Mandi at the edge of the box, Shrestha swiftly turned and side-footed it into the bottom-right corner.

Coming into the match following a defeat to Manipur, Services were dominant from the outset, leading 2-0 at halftime. Lethaolen Khongsai opened the scoring in the 11th minute, heading in a free-kick from captain Christopher Kamei into the far post. Sreyas VG doubled the lead by converting a low cross from Alan Thapa with a precise finish from six yards out.

Jammu & Kashmir began to find their footing as the match progressed, but their hopes of a comeback were extinguished when Services scored twice in quick succession during the 53rd and 54th minutes. Rahul Ramakrishnan connected with a long ball from Khongsai and calmly slotted it past goalkeeper Nirdosh Sagotra. Thapa then secured his second assist as he set up Thingnam Bidyashagar Singh, who cut to his left and scored.