In Hyderabad, West Bengal won their second match of the final round fixtures of the Santosh Trophy with a dominating 3-0 score on December 16 at the Deccan Arena, defeating Telangana.
The first two goals came in the first half, and in the second half, the final and third goal was scored. Rabi Hansda found the net first, and later Narohari Shreshtha added two more goals, completing his brace.
At the 39th minute, a defensive lapse created the chance. Hangzo headed the ball out, which fell to a Bengal player on the right. He took a shot, which Telangana keeper Ishan Sarkar punched away but couldn’t clear, allowing Rabi Hansda to precisely place it into the goal.
In the first half’s additional time, at the 45+4th minute, a long, accurate cross from the right flank found Narohari, who headed the ball into the goal. In the 56th minute, from Rabilal Mandi’s grounder through ball, Narohari took a shot from the mid edge of the box that was on target, adding the final third goal to the scoreboard for West Bengal.
The 32-time champion West Bengal kicked off their Santosh Trophy 2024 final round campaign with back-to-back wins and are now at the top of Group A standings with 6 points from 2 matches and 5 goals. On December 18, West Bengal will play their next fixture against Rajasthan at 2:30 PM.
