What a convincing start for West Bengal in their Santosh Trophy campaign!
On Saturday afternoon, November 16, at Kalyani Stadium, West Bengal kicked off their Santosh Trophy 2024-25 campaign with a dominant 4-0 victory over Jharkhand in the Group C fixture, securing a smooth win with a clean sheet.
According to the another Group C fixtures results, West Bengal is now at the top of the group table due to goal difference, as Bihar secured a 2-1 win over Uttar Pradesh and is currently in second place.
From the first whistle, Bengal played an attacking and impressive game. In the first 45 minutes, they missed numerous opportunities to open up their scoreline.
But in the additional time of the first half, through a great attack and Israfil Dewan’s generous move, West Bengal scored their first goal. From right inside the box, in a one-on-one situation, Israfil passed the ball to the far post for Manotosh Majhi, who perfectly placed it into the goal.
In the second half, Bengal took full control of the game, forcing their opponents to focus solely on defense. In the 63rd minute, inside the box, Rabi Hansda was fouled by Ranglal Murmu, earning West Bengal a penalty. Rabi Hansda took the penalty kick and doubled the lead for West Bengal.
Within two minutes, Rabi Hansda’s brilliant individual effort, he secured his brace and added the third goal to West Bengal’s scoreline. Despite the comfortable lead, Bengal showed no signs of satisfaction and continued their attacking play in search of more goals in their opening match.
In the 84th minute, super-sub Narohari Shrestha scored the fourth and final goal for Bengal. Following an impressive attack from the right flank, Suprodip Hazra laid off a pass to Manotosh Majhi, who delivered an accurate ball into the box, Narohari calmly placed the ball into the net.
With such a positive start, Sanjay Sen and his team will be pleased and more confident, having kicked off their Santosh Trophy 2024-25 campaign with a dominant win and a clean sheet. West Bengal will play their next match against Uttar Pradesh on November 18.
