West Bengal has been knocked out of the race for the Santosh Trophy after losing against Services in the tiebreaker. The defending champions failed to steady in the penalties 2-3.
Winning three of their five matches and drawing two, the Bengal football team was looking in good touch and moved quickly through the Santosh Trophy group stage. Following Nagaland and Uttarakhand, they defeated Rajasthan to complete a hat-trick of victories.
In the quarter-finals on Tuesday, they faced Services. Despite a strong fight, Bengal was eliminated from the Santosh Trophy quarterfinals after losing a tiebreaker.
After the designated time, the game ended in extra time with no goals. As a result, the match proceeded to a tiebreaker, and Services had the last laugh.
Match summary
Failing to capitalise on the chances, Bengal ended up on the losing side. The first two shots were missed by Karan Rai and Chaku Mandi. But Bengal had a chance to win the game thanks to goalie Gaurav Shaw. He saved two penalties from Services and showed hope of winning. But the last save was not made.
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Narahari Shrestha failed to score on the fifth attempt. Last year's champion Bengal had to bow out after losing 2-3. Kerala, last year's runners-up, advanced to the semi-finals in the other match. They defeated the hosts, Assam. Punjab and Railways also secured a place in the last four.
Other fixtures
Punjab edged Tamil Nadu 4–1 on penalties after a 1–1 draw, while Railways advanced with a 2–0 win over Rajasthan. The semifinals on February 5 will see Services face Railways at Silapathar and Kerala play Punjab at Dhakuakhana, with both matches kicking off at 13:30 IST and streaming live on FIFA+.
