2018 Santosh Trophy final
| Event | 2017–18 Santosh Trophy | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Date | 1 April 2018 | ||||||
| Venue | Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata, West Bengal | ||||||
The 2018 Santosh Trophy Final will be a match between Kerala and West Bengal, played on 1 April 2018, at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, West Bengal. The match will be a culmination of the 2017–18 Santosh Trophy, the 72nd edition of the football competition contested by regional state associations and government institutions under the All India Football Federation.[1]
Kerala entered this edition of the Santosh Trophy after qualifying from Group B of the South Zone qualifiers. West Bengal entered after qualifying from Group B of the East Zone qualifiers. Prior to the start of the competition proper, both Kerala and West Bengal were placed in Group A for the first round. Both sides faced each other in the final match of the round, both winning their previous three matches. Kerala came away as the 1–0 winners to win the group.
West Bengal will enter the match as the defending champions after winning the Santosh Trophy the previous year in 2017.
Road to the final
The Santosh Trophy is an association football knock-out competition contested by the regional state associations and government institutions under the All India Football Federation (AIFF), the sport's governing body in India. Started in 1941, the competition was considered the top domestic football championship in India, prior to the start of the National Football League in 1996.[2] The 2017–18 competition is the 72nd edition of the Santosh Trophy.[3]
In order to enter the competition proper, teams had to go through a qualification round based on their region.[4] Kerala were placed in Group B of the South Zone qualifiers while West Bengal were placed in Group B of the East Zone qualifiers. Kerala topped their group consisting of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu to qualify.[5] West Bengal would also top their group consisting of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.[6]
Kerala
Prior to reaching the 2018 final, Kerala had played the final of the Santosh Trophy 13 times, winning on five occasions, most recently in 2005.[7] For this edition of the tournament, Kerala were placed in Group A with Chandigarh, Maharashtra, Manipur, and eventually final opponent West Bengal.[8]
Kerala's first match of the competition occurred on 19 March against Chandigarh. A brace from Jithin M.S. and three goals from Sajith Poulose, Afdal V.K. and Sreekuttan V.S. respectively earned Kerala an opening 5–1 victory.[9] Four days later, Kerala defeated Manipur 6–0. Jithin Gopalan scored a brace while Afdal V.K., Rahul K.P., and Jithin M.S. scored the other three goals. The sixth goal came from an own goal by Roshan Singh.[10] Two days later, on 25 March, Kerala would earn another major victory, 3–0 over Maharashtra. Rahul Raj opened the scoring in the 24th minute before Jithin M.S. scored his fourth goal of the tournament in the 39th. Rahul K.P. scored Kerala's third in the 58th minute.[11] Finally, on 27 March, Kerala played their final match of the group stage against eventually final opponent West Bengal. Rahul K.P. scored his third goal of the tournament in the 90th minute to give Kerala the victory and top of the group.[12]
With the group stage finished, Kerala would take on Mizoram in the knockout semi-final match at the Mohun Bagan Ground.[13] An Afdal V.K. goal in the 54th minute was enough to give Kerala the victory and a spot in their 14th final.[14]
Match
References
- ^ "Santosh Trophy final phase to kick off in Kolkata on March 19". Hindustan Times. 21 February 2018. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
- ^ Anand, Vijay (16 March 2014). "The history of Santosh Trophy". SportsKeeda. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
- ^ Ganguly, Abhishek (30 March 2018). "72nd Santosh Trophy: Bengal wary of Karnataka's flair". Times of India. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
- ^ "Santosh Trophy qualifiers". Soccerway.
- ^ "Santosh Trophy South Zone qualifiers". Soccerway.
- ^ "Santosh Trophy East Zone qualifiers". Soccerway.
- ^ "Santosh Trophy Finals". RSSSF.
- ^ "Santosh Trophy giants Bengal wary of defending crown at home". Times of India. 18 March 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
- ^ "Santosh Trophy: Kerala thrash Chandigarh 5-1 in opener". Mathrubhumi. 19 March 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
- ^ Sarangi, Y.B. (23 March 2018). "Santosh Trophy: Kerala runs riot against Manipur". The Hindu. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
- ^ "Santosh Trophy: Kerala brush aside Maharashtra to reach semis". Mid-Day. 25 March 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
- ^ "Santosh Trophy: Kerala beat Bengal to finish top of Group A". Business Standard. 27 March 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
- ^ "Mizoram could ask questions of Kerala". The Hindu. 29 March 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
- ^ "Santosh Trophy: Defending champions Bengal set up title clash with lucky Kerala". Scroll.in. 30 March 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2018.