Services 1 (Abhishek Pawar 109')
defeated
Kerala 0

AIFF Media Team

DHAKUAKHANA, ASSAM: Services defeated Kerala 1-0 in an absorbing final of the 79th National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy 2025-26 at the jam-packed Dhakuakhana Football Stadium, Dhakuakhana, Assam, on Sunday, February 8, 2026.

This was the eighth time they won the holy grail of Indian Football in their chequered history. Striker Abhishek Pawar slammed the only goal of a tense battle in the 109th minute, after regulation and the first half of extra time yielded no goals.

It was only the second time in the championship’s hallowed history that these two teams clashed in the final. They had last met in the 2012-13 edition’s final in Kochi when Services won 4-3 via the penalty shoot-out after the teams had drawn a blank at the end of regulation and extra time. Services thus repeated that winning act once more.

Services had last won it in 2023-24 in Yupia, Arunachal Pradesh, defeating Goa 1-0 in the final.

It was also only the second time that these two teams had figured in a final, whenever Assam played hosts on six occasions in the past. Services had lost Bengal 1-6 in the 1969-70 final. Kerala had also lost to Bengal 3-4 via the penalty shoot-out after the teams drew 1-1 in the 1988-89 final.

As the huge crowd waited with bated breath for a goal, and the match seemed to be headed for another shoot-out, Services pieced together a move wide on the left flank. Samuel Vanlalpeka sent the 63rd-minute substitute Shubham Rana down the flank. Advancing right up to the corner flag, Shubham Rana sent in a calculated centre into the box. Kerala goalkeeper Hajmal S did well to fist it. As the ball rolled towards the edge of the box, striker Abhishek Pawar swivelled around and let fly a low right-footer that screamed past the tiring Kerala legs into the net as the Services outfit erupted with joy. So did their vast army of supporters in the galleries.

Kerala put everything into it in the final 12 minutes or so of remaining time. But marshalled well by goalkeeper and captain Gagandeep Singh, the Services defence beat back the raids to keep their lead intact and lift the glittering trophy.

Abhishek Pawar, who had scored the only goal when Services defeated Kerala in their Group B league clash, repeated his effort against the former champions and when it mattered the most. Aware of his striking potential, the Kerala stoppers, especially Manoj M, kept him on a tight leash all along. They did not allow him any liberties in striking range. It helped them that the Services midfield and the wing-backs did not provide Pawar with effective passes. Pawar, too, was not as active as he should have been. But one cannot keep a good man down all along, and he had the last laugh.

On the contrary, Kerala’s main striker, Muhammed Ajsal, proved to be more of a thorn to the Services defence. His colleagues, Muhammed Riyas and Arjun, worked up a couple of dangerous moves to create chances for him. With the Services stoppers playing wide apart, they exploited the resultant space to send him through. But Ajsal was a wee bit slow in his final efforts as the desperate Services recovered to thwart him. Arjun sent him through superbly as early as the 20th minute, but Ajsal delayed his shot, and Chanambam Samananda rushed in to clear at the expense of an abortive corner-kick.

Yet, Arjun and Riyas did well to keep possession and stretch the Services defenders on both flanks. But somehow, their final passes were played a bit too hard and faster into the central defenders, as they yielded possession without provocation.

With the occasion wearing heavily on their minds, both sides adopted the strategy of ensuring that they don’t concede and score if possible, and the ball was largely confined to spaces between the two big boxes. They took turns to dominate and threaten to score, but the defences came up trumps all along. The goalkeepers were not really tested until midway through the first half. Kerala midfielder Arjun V produced a scorching right-footer from 25 yards out, but it scraped the crossbar and rolled out.

For most of the match, the goalkeepers had only to deal with harmless lobs or clear away back passes at either end as the final wound its way towards a stalemate towards the end of the first half of extra time. But Abhishek Pawar changed the script three minutes into the second half of extra time as Services stamped their supremacy, but only just in the end.