AIFF Media Team

DHAKUAKHANA/SILAPATHAR: Defending champions West Bengal continued their winning run, edging past Uttarakhand 1-0, while hosts Assam came back from behind twice, before being held to a 3-3 draw by Nagaland, in the 79th National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy Final Round, in Dhakuakhana, on Friday, January 23, 2026.

Over in Silapathar, Rajasthan quietly continued their push for a knockout spot, earning a 1-0 win against Tamil Nadu.

West Bengal and Rajasthan occupy the top two spots in Group A with six points apiece, though the former are ahead on goal difference. They are followed by Tamil Nadu on third with three points from two matches, while Assam and Nagaland have one point apiece. Uttarakhand are yet to open their account.

West Bengal 1 (Naro Hari Shrestha 90+7’)
defeated
Uttarakhand 0

Naro Hari Shrestha turned out to be the super sub as he netted West Bengal’s winner deep into injury time to help them carve out a solitary goal victory over a spirited Uttarakhand for their second victory at the Dhakuakhana Football Stadium, on Friday.

Uttarakhand produced a sparkling display to keep West Bengal at bay for 97 minutes, but as a draw seemed the likely result, the complexion of the game changed suddenly. Taking a free-kick deep inside his half, stopper Chaku Mandi chipped the ball right into the opponent's box. Gaurav Rawat headed it out. But it came to Bickey Thapa, who in turn headed it into the box. Naro Hari Shreshta chested the ball down, screened his marker, Gaurav and let fly a rising right-footer on the turn. The ball zoomed into the top left corner as the West Bengal camp jumped in jubilation. 

Quite surprisingly, Uttarakhand appeared to be the more organised and dangerous side than the 33-time champions. They played with three in defence, six in midfield and just one upfront to deny Bengal the space in the middle, and launched quick attacks on the flanks.

Bengal made the mistake of matching them for pace and also tried to indulge in more of the long balls down the flanks. But the centres were taken care of by the Uttarakhand defence, where stopper and skipper Shashank Rana was outstanding. Goalkeeper Abhay Bisht too did well to pick up the lobs. Denied openings in the middle, Bengal were lost for ideas and virtually played into the hands of their opponents. Coordinated moves were few and far between.

It was Uttarakhand wing-back Rajender Singh Bairola who caused a lot of consternation inside the Bengal box with his calculated long throws. Uttarakhand almost scored when in the 58th minute, Shashank Rana, who had moved up, headed it backwards deeper into the box, and Neeraj Bhandari nudged it low into the Bengal goal, but goalkeeper Somnath Dutta dived and palmed it away for an abortive corner.

Long clearances and lobs were the order of the day. The 2,000-strong crowd was rewarded eventually as the holders got what turned out to be the only goal of a gripping encounter. Uttarakhand had no time left for any comeback. 

Tamil Nadu 0
lost to
Rajasthan 1 (Mohammed Adnan 78’)

Mohammed Adnan emerged as the impact substitute for Rajasthan as his late strike secured a 1-0 win over former champions Tamil Nadu at the Silapathar Football Stadium, on Friday.

The victory marked Rajasthan’s second consecutive win of the campaign, lifting them to six points from two matches and into second place behind leaders West Bengal. Tamil Nadu, meanwhile, suffered their first defeat of the campaign and remained on three points from two games.

Despite the result, it was Tamil Nadu who dominated proceedings for large spells, enjoying the bulk of possession and dictating the tempo. Devadath S and Henry Joseph Immanuel both came close in the first half, but Rajasthan goalkeeper Mohit Sikhwal produced a series of smart saves to keep his side level. Rajasthan, in contrast, adopted a compact defensive approach and offered little in attack before the interval.

The second half followed a similar pattern, with Tamil Nadu creating opportunities but lacking the cutting edge in front of goal.

Rajasthan gradually grew into the contest and made their decisive breakthrough in the 78th minute. Ishan Rozario surged down the right flank and delivered a teasing cross that bypassed the Tamil Nadu defence, allowing Adnan to arrive at the edge of the box and place a composed right-footed finish into the bottom corner.

Tamil Nadu pushed forward in search of an equaliser in the closing stages, but Rajasthan’s disciplined defence held firm to secure a valuable three points.

Assam 3 (Didwm Hazowary 39’ Akrang Narzary 62’ Timothi Narzary 76’)
drew with
Nagaland 3 (Laiwang Bohham 27’ Ayenmongba 54’ Ato Chophi 82’)

Nagaland and Assam churned out an exciting match that ended in a pulsating 3-3 draw at the Dhakuakhana Football Stadium on Friday.

Nagaland forged ahead through Laiwang Bohham in the 26th minute. But Didwm Hazowary levelled scores in the 38th minute as the teams took the breather on level terms. However, Ayenmongba made it 2-1 for Nagaland in the 54th minute to give them the lead, only for Akrang Narzary to level it again in the 62nd. Assam then took the lead in the 76th with Timothi Narzary scoring. But Ato Chophi made it 3-3 in the 82nd as the game ended without more goals.

Both teams logged their first point in Group A, having lost their opening games – Nagaland 0-4 to West Bengal and Assam 0-1 to Tamil Nadu.

The teams dominated the game in turns and produced a fast-paced affair with attack as the watchword. The defences on either side were kept busy all along, with the goalkeepers also called into action to deal with crisp long rangers. But everything held on until the 27th minute when Nagaland broke the deadlock with a fine goal. Yhoto Lohe centred from the right, and Laiwang Bohham was on hand to head it across the goalkeeper Satyajit Bordoloi’s goalie to the left and into the net. 

The lead lasted for 12 minutes as Assam drew level. Stopper Didwm Hazowary intercepted a pass almost near the centre line and sent Pranjal Bhumu down the left. Pranjal moved into the box and cut back his pass. Didwm Hazowary, who had moved up for support, made no mistake with his placement low into goalkeeper Ato Awomi’s left as the teams went in for half-time at 1-1.

The exchanges grew in intensity as both tried to wrest the initiative, and the large turnout enjoyed some exciting up and down action with moves emanating from both flanks. Nagaland went ahead as a result of a suicidal pass from Assam stopper Pragyan Sundar Gogoi. Receiving a pass from goalkeeper Satyajit, he tried to move it to the right without noticing Ayen Mongbha lurking around. The Nagaland winger accepted the gift and placed home to make it 2-1.

However, Assam stepped up the attacks and restored parity for a second time. Running down the right, Dipu Mirdha sent a low centre which the Nagaland defence failed to clear and substitute Akrang Narzary pushed it in from close quarters.

Encouraged by their success, Assam went ahead for the first time as Pranjal Bhumu once again dribbled deep. As Nagaland failed to clear, the ball rolled back off a defender, and Timothi Narzary let fly a firm left-footer crashing into the near post.

It was Nagaland’s turn to up the ante, and after a couple of long tries that were taken care of, substitute Manton Wangshu sent a long diagonal into the box. Bohham chased it and headed it back from near the goalie into the six-yard box, and substitute Ato Chophi headed home unmarked for an 82nd-minute equaliser.