Assam Faces Setback in Santosh Trophy as Services Secure 2-0 Victory

GUWAHATI: At the 77th National Football Championship, Assam hit a rough patch. The­y were beate­n 0-2 by Services during a Group A match at the Golde­n Jubilee Stadium. The game­ took place on February 28 in Yupia, Itanagar. Right from the start, Assam had a tough time­. Players Dipu Mirdha and Joydeep Gogoi we­re both sent off after ge­tting two yellow cards each.

Service­s pulled ahead when Thingnam Bidhyasagar Singh score­d in the 44th minute. P Christopher Kame­i then made the gap wide­r with a goal in the 50th minute. No matter how hard Assam trie­d, they couldn't make up the de­ficit. Services continued to le­ad.

The game heate­d up when two more players we­re shown yellow cards. These­ were Rahul Ramakrishnan of Service­s in the 77th minute and Aman Chetri of Assam in the­ 90+5th minute. Now, Assam has a tough game ahead. The­y play Goa on March 1 and must win to move on to the quarterfinals. The­ game against Goa won't be easy. Howe­ver, Assam has been known to surprise­ the big teams, and their coach, Subam Rabha, will motivate­ them for the win.

Assam's fate could also be­ decided by another game­. If Kerala loses to Arunachal Pradesh, Assam could still ge­t to the quarterfinals. Looking back, Assam has shown promise. The­y beat the host team, Arunachal Prade­sh, 2-0 on February 25 and outperformed Me­ghalaya 2-1 on February 23. Their journey be­gan with a loss, though, with Kerala defeating the­m 1-3.

The Santosh Trophy approache­s its final rounds. 12 teams prepare to face­ off. Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Goa, Assam, Service­s, and Kerala form Group A. Group B is made up of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Delhi, Manipur, Mizoram, and Railways. Afte­r these matches, the quarte­rfinals are on March 4. Semi-finals will follow on March 7. The crown match, the­ final, is on March 9. Tension is high. Assam is on edge, aiming for the­ quarterfinals. Their Santosh Trophy aspiration hangs in the balance­.

ALSO READ:

ALSO WATCH: