CUTTACK 28-May-2012 286
Services regained the Santosh Trophy after a long gap of 51 years, beating Tamil Nadu 3-2 in the final of the 66th Senior National Football Championship here at the floodlit Barabati Stadium today. A goal each by Sanju Subba (45th), Subrata Sarkar (49th) and VV Farhad (67th) put the aggressive Services side in the driver’s seat.
But making a late fight back, Tamil Nadu pulled two goals back through Santa Kumar (82nd), M Ramesh (89th) to provide much needed excitement to the summit clash. But the wait to win their maiden title continued for Tamil Nadu as Services successfully defended their one-goal lead till the final whistle.
Led by Gordon Zoramchhana, Services lifted the coveted silver trophy along with a cash prize of Rs 5 lakhs, while Tamil Nadu contended with the runners-up prize of Rs 3 lakhs. Services mid-fielder VV Farhad was awarded as the player of the final.
Odisha Sports Minister Badri Narayan Patra handed over the glittering trophy and mementos at the closing function, which witnessed colourful fireworks. School and Mass Education Minister Pratap Jena, AIFF vice-president Subrat Dutta, State Sports Director Saswat Mishra, East Coast Railway Sports Association president Dilip Samantaray, Odisha Olympic Association secretary Asirbad Behera, host Odisha Football Association president Debasish Samantaray, secretary Sanjay Behera and Cuttack Mayor Soumendra Ghosh were present on the occasion.
Odisha hosted the championship for the fourth time, the last three times being in 1967, 1981 and 1994. Altogether 34 teams participated in the championship, which featured a total of 60 matches. Earlier in the semifinals, Services beat Kerala 2-1, while Tamil Nadu defeated Manipur 2-0.
With All India Football Federation (AIFF) keeping I-League players and India probables away from Santosh Trophy, the championship served as an ideal platform for lesser-known talents to come to the fore and book their tickets for the I-League and the National side eventually.
The absence of I-League stars was also the reason for which traditional superpowers such as 31-time champions Bengal, Goa, Punjab and Kerala fell by wayside, while teams not having I-League clubs or India caps made it to the summit clash.
