AIFF Media Team

DHAKUAKHANA/SILAPATHAR: Kerala, Punjab, Services, and Railways won their respective 79th National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy 2025-26 Final Round quarter-final matches in Dhakuakhana and Silapathar, on Tuesday, February 3, 2026.

The four teams now enter the last four stage of the tournament, with the semi-finals slated to be held on February 5. Services will take on Railways in the first semi-final at the Silapathar Football Stadium, while Kerala take on Punjab in the second semi-final at the Dhakuakhana Football Stadium. Both matches will kick off simultaneously at 13:30 IST, and will be streamed live on FIFA+.

Kerala 3 (Manoj M 17’, Muhammed Ajsal 44’, Aboobacker Dilshad 90+2’)
defeated
Assam 0

Two first half goals and an injury-time insurance cover saw Kerala prevail over a fighting Assam 3-0 in the quarter-final of the Santosh Trophy at the Silapathar Football Stadium.

The home team, Assam, put up a dogged fight for most part of the second half and peppered the Kerala box with long lobs and diagonal crosses but failed to get the better of their equally determined defence, backed up as they were by a confident Hajmal S. In the goal.

Assam were the better team in terms of movements, but they traded their short-passing game for the long lobs and diagonals, and virtually played into the hands of their opponents who had five men in midfield. With almost the entire team camping in the Kerala half for most of the second half, they left them open to the dangers of quick counters. After surviving a couple of close calls, they eventually paid the penalty in injury time.

But it was Kerala who held the whip hand with their own attacking moves on either flank and managed to lend evidence to their superiority with two first half goals. Forcing a flag-kick, they forged ahead in the 17th minute. Arjun chipped it to the near post and Muhammed Ajsal headed it backwards. The ball dipped beyond the line into the goal with Manoj M barging in to confirm its entry.

They almost struck again as Bibin Ajayan produced a brilliant free-kick that rocketed towards the middle of the goal but Assam goalkeeper Navajyoti Ayan tipped it acrobatically over the crossbar. Kerala stretched the Assam defence wide often and made it 2-0 a minute before the break. Viknesh sent his overlapping wing-back Sandeep S away down the flank. Sandeep, in turn, squared into the box and Muhammed Ajsal came charging in to flick it home on the run.

Assam swung into action on resumption with Rituraj Mohan controlling the midfield well. Sudeepta Konwar had a few effective runs down the left but the Kerala defence failed to budge. Once Sudeepta Konwar worked his way past three, only to slam the ball wide from close.

Kerala played at a slow pace and absorbed all that was thrown at them. They waited for their chances and launched quick counters, only for Muhammad Ajsal to place wide and Viknesh to hit into the goalkeeper from close.

They made it 3-0 in the first minute of added time. Substitute Sajeesh S raced away down the right and pulled his cross back into the box. Another substitute Aboobacker Dilshad slammed a low angular shot into the far corner and it was all over for the gallant hosts.

West Bengal 0 (2)
lost to
Services 0 (3)

Services produced a composed and confident performance to eliminate defending champions West Bengal from the Santosh Trophy 2025-26 at the Dhakuakhana Football Stadium. The 2023–24 champions won a tense quarter-final 3-2 on penalties after a goalless 120 minutes.

The tie-breaker proved dramatic and nervy in equal measure. West Bengal faltered early as Chaku Mandi dragged his opening kick wide, before Karan Rai’s effort was saved. Samuel K Vanlalpeka calmly converted to give Services the edge, although Bengal substitute goalkeeper Gourab Shaw kept his side alive by denying Wangden Tamang.

Shyamal Besra and Robi Hansda then scored for West Bengal, while Vijay Marandi and Abhishek Pawar held their nerve for Services. With the contest finely poised, Vijay J failed to convert, leaving Bengal a chance to force sudden death. However, Naro Hari Shrestha’s tentative attempt lacked conviction and power, allowing Services substitute goalkeeper Muhammed Shanoos PP to make the decisive save and avenge Services’ semi-final defeat to Bengal in the previous edition of the competition.

The outcome capped a fiercely-contested encounter in which Services executed their game plan to near perfection. Aware of West Bengal’s attacking prowess, Services prioritised defensive organisation and compactness, pressing intelligently and moving the ball with purpose when opportunities arose.

Services created the first clear chance in the 12th minute through a well-worked move down the left. Abhishek Pawar’s teasing cross found Shubham Rana in space, but Somnath Dutta rushed off his line to block. Vanlalpeka followed up, only for Mandi to make a crucial goalline clearance.

West Bengal responded eight minutes later when Sayan Banerjee’s cross reached an unmarked Akash Hembram at the far post. With the goal gaping, Hembram headed straight at the goalkeeper, squandering a gilt-edged opportunity.

Both sides probed without success before the break, and the second half followed a similar pattern. Zahir Khan tested Dutta from long range on the hour, while Services went close again in the 74th minute when Rana’s flicked header from a corner was cleared off the line by Banerjee.

Bengal had a late chance to snatch it in stoppage time as Bijay Murmu’s cross found Banerjee free at the far post, but he blazed over, sending the contest into extra time. Services pressed again, only for Juwel Ahmed Mazumder to produce a heroic block to deny Marandi and the rebound.

Ultimately, penalties decided the contest, and Services held their nerve when it mattered most to book a deserved place in the semi-finals.

Punjab 1 [4] (Jatinder Singh Rana 37’)
defeated
Tamil Nadu 1 [1] (M Umashankar 84’ p)

Punjab got the better of Tamil Nadu on a 4-1 in a penalty shootout, after the match ended 1-1 in the quarter-finals of the Santosh Trophy at the Silapathar Football Stadium.

The teams were locked 1-1 in their quarter-final encounter after the end of regulation and extra-time. Jatinder Singh Rana had put Punjab ahead in the 37th minute, but M. Umashankar converted a penalty in the 84th minute of regulation time. The teams defended stoutly in the 30 minutes of extra time, forcing the penalty shoot-out to be gone through.

In the shoot out, Akashdeep Singh gave Punjab the lead with a low placement to goalkeeper Mohanraj’s right. Tamil Nadu stopper Henry Joseph Immanuel placed low to the Punjab custodian Karandeep Singh’s left but he dived and prevented entry. Harjit rolled the ball into the centre to make it 2-0 for Punjab. M. Umashankar converted his spot kick to make it 1-2 for TN. Akashman Chaudhary sent the TN custodian the wrong way and it was 3-1 for Punjab.

TN then changed their goalkeeper bringing in Lakshay for Mohanraj. But TN”s Vineeth Kumar Velmurugan struck the right upright off the Punjab custodian’s fingers and the ball rolled out. Jagdeep Singh’s fourth kick for Punjab settled low to the left of goalkeeper Lakshay and it was all over. The remaining kicks were not necessary as Punjab won the shoot out 4-1 and wrapped up the match.

Tamil Nadu were the more organised outfit and included in some neat passing moves. But they moved more through the middle leading to them coming up cropper against the crowded Punjab area.
Ironically, it was Punjab who forged ahead much against the run of play. Their moved from their own half involved at least six players before the ball was in the opponent’s net without any Tamil Nadu player as much as touching it. Harjit squared to Sangamdeep Singh on the right. The tall stopper found Harpreet Singh freeing the middle. Harpeet Singh sent Harmanpreet Singh away down the right flank. The latter squared the ball into the box and Damanpreet Singh headed it further wide. As it dropped down, Jatinder Singh Rana produced a superb right-footer on the half-volley and slammed the ball low into the near post in one brilliant reflex action.

The deficit saw Tamil Nadu get a stranglehold on the Punjab defence. They kept a steady flow of passes and lobs only to be cleared away by the determined Punjab defenders. A rising right-footer on the run from Nandhakumar Anantharaj saw Karandeep Singh turn it away for an abortive corner.

Punjab indulged in wild and hefty clearances as the contest grew more intense interspersed with frequent fouls and hold-ups. Despite dominating the proceedings, Tamil Nadu failed to find a way through. But Punjab gifted them a penalty as Harjit handled a long lob. Umashankar made no mistake with the resultant penalty and it was 1-1 eight minutes from time. It remained that way for the rest of it. The confident Punjab players made no mistake with their penalty conversions in the shoot and emerged victorious.

Railways 2 (Saurabh Bhanwala 78’, Johnson Joseph Mathews 83’)
defeated
Rajasthan 0

Railways booked their place in the semi-finals of the Santosh Trophy 2025–26 with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Rajasthan at the Dhakuakhana Football Stadium.

In a quarter-final that offered little in the way of attacking flair for long spells, Railways made the most of two late moments of quality with goals from Saurabh Bhanwala (78’) and Johnson Joseph Mathews (83’) to finally break Rajasthan’s resistance and settle a contest that looked destined for extra time.

The opening half was a cagey, low-tempo affair, with both sides prioritising defensive solidity over adventure. Possession was exchanged largely in midfield, but the moves lacked cohesion and imagination, repeatedly breaking down before they could develop into genuine scoring opportunities. The forwards on either side struggled for sharpness, often isolated and well-marshalled by compact defensive units.

Rajasthan and Railways both defended with discipline and organisation, ensuring their respective goalkeepers were largely untroubled. Indeed, neither side managed to register a meaningful effort on target in the first half, underlining how evenly matched and tightly contested the encounter was.

The second half followed a similar pattern, with neither team able to find a way through despite tactical tweaks and substitutions. Set-pieces, often a decisive factor in knockout football, also failed to yield dividends as deliveries were comfortably dealt with by alert backlines. As the clock ticked on, the prospect of a tie-breaker loomed large.

The deadlock was finally broken in the 78th minute through a set-piece. Johnson Joseph Mathews floated in a teasing corner from the left, and Rajasthan’s defence momentarily switched off. Saurabh Bhanwala rose highest in the box, escaping his marker to power a header past goalkeeper Mohit Sikhwal and give Railways a crucial breakthrough.

Rajasthan were forced to push forward in search of an equaliser, but that only opened up spaces at the back. Railways capitalised five minutes later to seal the contest in style. Urjoy Brahma launched a long ball from deep which Mathews collected on the right flank. Showing composure and skill, he made a jinking run past two defenders before calmly slotting the ball beyond the advancing Sikhwal to make it 2-0.

Rajasthan tried to respond but found no way past a resolute Railways defence. The Railways players saw out the closing minutes with confidence and control, confirming their passage into the last four with a professional and ultimately decisive performance.