West Bengal remains unbeaten! On December 23, in the final’ rounds Group A fixtures of the ongoing Santosh Trophy between West Bengal and Services, West Bengal clinched a 1-0 victory. A stunning strike by Basudeb Mandi in the opening minutes of the second half sealed the top spot in the group table.
This was the final Group A fixture, and after the match, the standings confirmed that West Bengal, Manipur, Services, and Jammu Kashmir advanced to the quarterfinals. Group B fixtures still have their last matches to be played, which will determine the remaining four quarterfinalists and the matchups for the next stage.
The first half wasn’t particularly exciting for either team and played out rather uneventfully. However, just a minute into the second half, in the 46th minute, Bengal took the lead. Launching a quick attack from the left side, Manotos Majhi passed the ball to Basudeb Mandi, who unleashed a brilliant curled shot toward the far post, scoring a spectacular goal for Bengal.
After that, Bengal continued to play an attacking game. However, in the 78th minute, Services got a golden opportunity due to a defensive lapse by West Bengal. Near the six-yard box on the left side, Madan Mandi miss-passed the ball, allowing Bikash Thapa to gain possession and take a close-range shot. But goalkeeper Sourav Samata made a brilliant save. On the rebound, Services attempted another shot, but Madan Mandi stepped up to make a crucial clearance, ensuring Bengal remained in the lead.
In the ongoing match, just before the final quarter, the player of the match, Basudeb Mandi, was substituted for Aritra Ghosh. It appeared to be a forced change, as Basudeb seemed to have suffered a muscle pull, though it didn’t appear to be serious. According to the group standings, West Bengal tops Group A with 13 points from 5 matches, having maintained clean sheets in four of them. West Bengal now looks ahead to their quarterfinal fixture.
