Kozhikode ∙ Kerala is one step closer to the Santosh Trophy final. Yesterday, in the fourth match of the second group, Kerala defeated Jammu and Kashmir 3-0 and topped the group. Kerala will face Mizoram with 12 points along with them in the points table in the last eight match. The winners of that competition will qualify directly for the final. Even if they draw with Mizoram, Kerala, who lead on goal average, will enter the final as the first place.
The top 6 teams in each of the six groups and the top 3 runners-up will qualify for the quarter-finals. Services, Railways and the host state will also compete in the final.
After a dull first half, Kerala woke up and scored all three goals in the second half. In the 51st minute, Nijo Gilbert’s outstretched ball from the middle of the pitch deceived the Kashmir defender and the goalkeeper and scooped it into the net from a seemingly impossible angle. Vignesh started Kerala’s scoring. Rizwan Ali scored the second goal in the 76th minute from Visakh Mohanan’s cross and Nijo Gilbert scored the third goal from Vignesh’s cross in injury time.
Kerala dominated the first half as well, but the forward could not capitalize on the opportunities it had. Meanwhile, the offensive in Jammu and Kashmir ended with isolated developments. Mohammad Inam’s shot from just outside the box hit the crossbar in the 64th minute, killing their chance to pull at least one goal back.
English Summary: santosh trophy 2022 kerala beat jammu kashmir
