Karnataka Beats Meghalaya in National Football Championship, Wins Santosh Trophy after 54 Long Years

Karnataka becomes the Santosh Trophy winner marked by a stellar performance. Karnataka lifts the trophy after 54 long years of waiting by striking Meghalaya with a 3-2 win in the Grand Finale of the 76th edition of the National Football Championship. The Football competition was held at the King Fahd International Stadium on March 04, 2023 (Saturday).

This is the first time that Karnataka wins the title whereas previously it had won four times as the princely state of Mysore after a major gap of 54 years which was last in about 1968-69. The victory over Meghalaya has instigated celebrations among thousands of Indian expatriates who showed up to see the two Indian states grinding in the final stage match at Riyad, the capital of Saudi Arabia.

Congratulations Karnataka for winning #SantoshTrophy and also to be part of the history in @IndianFootball that VAR technology witnessed for the first time for the National Championship.

It’s a collective effort by team All India Football Federation. pic.twitter.com/UhSmKU0MQK

— Kalyan Chaubey (@kalyanchaubey) March 4, 2023

Karnataka’s Outperformance at Football Championship 2022-23

After a long throw by player Robin Yadav Karnataka went on to lead the match in the second minute. It further gave the chance for Sunil to take over the burst at the Meghalaya goal. The Karnataka wing-back shot an angular half-volley and averted the leg of a Meghalaya defender to find the net.

However, Karnataka’s joy was momentary as Meghalaya won a penalty in the eighth minute when Karnataka defender G. Nikhil dropped Sheen Stevenson in his own borderlines. Moreover, Brolington Warlarpih found the net from the spot in order to put Meghalaya on a parallel level.

Meghalaya had another possibility after a few minutes but Figo Syndai could not keep his shot on a specified target. It seems that the team made a botch-up as Karnataka recouped the show in the 19th minute when Sunil knocked down a Jacob john cross to set up Bekey, who made no mistake with his finalization of the round. Robin Yadav made it 3-1 just before the intermission. It prompted a delicate free-kick taken by him differently.

🏆 KARNATAKA ARE CHAMPIONS AFTER 5️⃣4️⃣ YEARS 🏆

It was a close call in the end, but Karnataka get over the line in the end 🤩

MEG 2⃣-3⃣ KAR

📺 @FanCode & @ddsportschannel #MEGKAR ⚔️ #HeroSantoshTrophy 🏆 #GrandFinale 💥 #IndianFootball ⚽ pic.twitter.com/tUVsvggPBE

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) March 4, 2023

What led to Karnataka’s Historic Triumph?

Sheen who had scored the winner to escort Meghalaya to the Grand Finale, pulled one back at the hitting hour-mark when Donald Diengdoh left the ball with a lovely dummy on a Banskhemlang Mawlong cross. He forbid the former with the chance of 2-3. Karnataka’s resilience stood for a longer time to run out the remaining time of the game and finally secured the title.

Earlier, Services won third place by beating Punjab 2-0 in the play-off match which was conducted just before the final match. Shafeel P.P. along with Christopher Kamei found the target once in each half to earn the crown for the 2018-19 championship.

Talking about the third-place playoff match, witnessed the introduction of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system creating the first time an Indian Men’s Team played under the Electronic Referral procedure for the referee. Since the 2018-2019 edition, the system has been initiated in more than 100 competitions. The system was not used in the match but was positioned for the Saudi Arabian referee Mohammed Al Daqqash to confer.

About Santosh Trophy

Hero Santosh Trophy is bestowed for the National Football Championship which is challenged by government institutions and state associations under the All India Football Federation (AIFF). The trophy is the top-notch honour considered in India. 

The tournament is organized every year with eligible teams. For the 2022-23 edition, Karnataka wins the tournament after a gap of 54 years. 

Also Read: NCW allies with Netflix, Discussion on Women Empowerment through Cinema