Bengal was defeated 5-4 on penalties to win the national football championship for the seventh time.
Digital Desk: Kerala won their seventh Santosh Trophy title in front of over 26,000 supporters in a cauldron of noise at the Payyanad Stadium in Malappuram, defeating West Bengal in a penalty shootout (5-4) to repeat their 2018 triumph against the most successful team in the national football championship's history.
The teams were tied 1-1 in a tense match after the extra time in which both teams produced numerous chances but failed to advance their performance. Dilip Orwan (Bengal) and Muhammed Safnad (Kerala) scored fantastic headers to send the game to penalties in extra time.
Kerala's shootout scorers were Sanju G, Bibin Ajayan, skipper Jijo Joseph, Jesin TK, and Fasalu Rahman. Bengal's goals came from Orwan, Bablu Oran, Tanmoy Ghosh, and goalkeeper Priyant Kumar. Kerala replaced their normal goalkeeper Midhun V with Hajmal S immediately before the penalty shootout.
Kerala has now won three Santosh Trophy tournaments on its home turf. They had previously won two tournaments in Kochi, one in 1973-74 and the other in 1992-93.
Orwan pushed Bengal ahead in the 97th minute. He met Supriya Pandit's right-wing cross with a powerful header that Kerala goalkeeper Midhun couldn't stop. Kerala's Safnad equalized in the 116th minute.
Another cross scored the goal from the right flank. Noufal, who had been a riot since coming on in the second half, floated the ball into the box, where Safnad leaped high and beat the Bengal defenders to level the score at 1-1.
Kerala coach Bino George praised the audience for their support after the win. "Most of you would have assumed we were out of the game. We returned, however, since we are the Kerala team. Because of the people and their support, we have not lost a game in the competition. I thank them, as well as my sons. They have the victory."
"I'm proud of my squad," Kerala skipper Jijo Joseph said after being named player of the match after a commanding display in the middle of the park. My coach and management, in particular. They've all been putting in long hours. They made it feasible for us to win. I appreciate the fans' support."
Earlier, George named the same starting lineup as in their quarterfinal victory over Karnataka, with five-goal hero Jesin TK on the bench. Nabi Hussain Khan replaced Basu Deb Mandi at the back in Bengal coach Ranjan Bhattacharya's starting lineup from the semifinal against Manipur.
The decision paid off nearly immediately, as Nabi Hussain came close to putting Bengal up in the third minute. He jumped for a Fardin corner, but his header was just wide.
Bengal dominated the early stages with more possession and better moves in the final third. Kerala was awarded a free-kick in the 19th minute, and skipper Jijo Joseph, who had already scored from a free-kick in the tournament, was expected to test the goalkeeper. However, his attempt was feeble and went right into Bengal goalie Priyant Singh's hands.
Noufal's entrance in the second half sharpened Kerala's plays, and he almost scored the game-winning goal for Kerala in injury time.
Nabi Hussain Khan and captain Monotosh Chakaladar were rock strong in defense for Bengal, stopping Kerala from scoring for the first time in the competition and forcing extra time.
The result will be difficult to accept for Bengal, who were chasing their 33rd Santosh Trophy, especially after playing so well and taking the lead. They were defeated 2-4 on penalties by Kerala in 2018 final after the score was level 2-2.
The outcome results are that Kerala 1 (Muhammed Safnad 116′) wins 5-4 on penalties over Bengal 1 (Dilip Orwan 97′).
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