Published: January 30, 2026 at 11:35 pm
West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, and hosts Assam finished in the top four positions in Group A to seal their spots in the quarterfinals of the 79th National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy 2025-26 Final Round in Dhakuakhana and Silapathar on Friday.
Rajasthan played out a 2-2 draw with Nagaland, while West Bengal drew 1-1 with Assam, while Tamil Nadu defeated Uttarakhand 1-0, to knock the latter out.
West Bengal finished top of Group A with 11 points, as Tamil Nadu follow them with a point less. Rajasthan, with seven, and Assam, with six, finished third and fourth, respectively, to complete the line-up from the group.
Assam nullify West Bengal
Hosts Assam staged a splendid fightback to nullify West Bengal’s first half lead and restore parity with a penalty conversion late in the second and play out a 1-1 draw at the Dhakuakhana Football Stadium.
West Bengal went ahead in the 32nd minute as Akash Hemram netted from close. Assam restored parity as Rituraj Mohan converted a penalty in the 84th minute to force an honourable draw.
Bijay Murmu of West Bengal was a constant threat with his runs on the left, while Akash Hemram did so from the right. But the Assam defence held firm, only to fall in the 32nd minute.
Murmu moved up and lobbed towards the box. Sumay Shome did well to scoop it backwards and deeper across the goalmouth. Akash Hemram came charging in, hopped on his right foot to adjust himself to the awkward bounce and managed to push it home with the inside of his left foot from close range.
West Bengal played more confidently and controlled the proceedings from thereon.
With the Assam midfield trio of Rituraj Mohan, Akrang Narzary and skipper Pragyan Sundar Gogoi providing brilliant passes, the duo of Sudeepta Konwar and Pranjal Bhumij on the flanks caused a lot of problems to the West Bengal defence with their speedy forays and effective centres. Goalkeeper Somnath Dutta, however, kept his slate clean. Sudeepta Konwar once dribbled past three players, played a superb wall pass with Akrang Narzary and barged into the box only to place it wide from close.
Off the counter, West Bengal almost scored again as Sumay Shome diverted a Bijay Murmu centre to the near post but goalkeeper Navajyoti Ayan parried it away.
Assam then again came close to scoring as Pranjal Bhumu’s header off Nabin Rabha’s lob came to grief on the horizontal. But Assam looked like scoring any moment as their raids became more pronounced.
The equaliser duty came in the 84th minute. Sudeepta Konwar dribbled through into the box after being fed with a superb pass by Rituraj Mohan. West Bengal’s wing back Marshal Kisku brought him down and Referee Ashwin pointed to the spot. Rituraj Mohan placed his penalty with a firm shot to the goalkeeper’s right to the delight of the home supporters.
Tamil Nadu down Uttarakhand
Tamil Nadu booked their place in the quarterfinals of the Santosh Trophy 2025-26 with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Uttarakhand at the Silapathar Football Stadium on Friday.
M Umasankar scored the decisive goal in the 68th minute, a result that also ended Uttarakhand’s campaign, with the side unable to finish in the top four.
With both teams still harbouring hopes of reaching the last eight, the contest was evenly poised from the outset. Tamil Nadu created the first meaningful chance when Umasankar’s corner was met by Nandha Kumar’s header, only for Uttarakhand goalkeeper Abhay Bisht to make a smart save, before denying Devadath on the rebound.
Tamil Nadu came close again midway through the first half on a swift counter-attack, with Karthick Thirumalai’s left-footed strike crashing off the woodwork.
Uttarakhand responded through set-pieces, with Shashank Rana’s flicked header forcing Mohanraj K into action.
The second half followed a similar pattern until the breakthrough arrived in the 68th minute. Following a cleared Uttarakhand corner, Tamil Nadu launched a rapid counter, with Thirumalai driving forward before teeing up Umasankar, who calmly placed a left-footed finish into the far corner.
Uttarakhand pushed for an equaliser in the closing stages, but Tamil Nadu held firm to secure a crucial victory and a place in the quarterfinals.
Twice in arrears, Nagaland brilliantly held Rajasthan to a 2-2 draw at the Dhakuakhana Football Stadium on Friday. Pics: AIFF
Nagaland hold Rajasthan
Twice in arrears, Nagaland brilliantly held Rajasthan to an entertaining 2-2 draw at the Dhakuakhana Football Stadium on Friday.
Amit Kumar put Rajasthan ahead in the 21st minute while S Ayenmongba scored in the 33rd to put Nagaland on level terms. Mukesh Kumar converted a penalty in the 76th minute to give Rajasthan a 2-1 lead but once again Nagaland made it 2-2 as Laiwang Bohham placed home his penalty in the 82nd minute.
In a game of contrasting displays, Rajasthan adopted their usual long and high ball approach for the most part while Nagaland opted to indulge in short, crisp passes to build up moves and attack. It was Rajasthan who succeeded in taking the lead in the 21st minute. Forcing a free-kick in the centre of the field, stopper Altaf Hussain chipped one deep into the box. The Nagaland defence was motionless while their goalkeeper Mengulhoukho Chalieu was rooted to his line as the ball dipped into the six yard box. Rajasthan’s lanky striker Amit Kumar stretched his right foot and diverted the dropping ball low into the far corner.
Nagaland stepped up the attacks and were not to be denied their pound of flesh. Picking up Laiwang Bohham’s pass in midfield, Nagaland’s wingback Bapen Yimjong curled the ball with his left foot and bisected the Rajasthan defence superbly. Ayenmongba dashed into the box and placed home a low right footer to the far corner to put his team back on level terms.
Rajasthan earned a penalty in the 76th minute. Moving up from the left, Aman Tyagi moved into the box only to be tripped by Nagaland’s Menoneikho Nakhro. Skipper Mukesh Kumar placed his spot kick to the top corner to give his team the lead again.
Ironically, Rajasthan’s Aman Tyagi who had earned the penalty also gave one away to Nagaland as he handled Ayenmongba’s shot inside the box. Laiwang Bohham made no mistake with the resultant penalty, placing it low to the far corner to make it 2-2. Though Nagaland attacked more often in the closing stages, they were denied more goals as Rajasthan’s defence held firm with the final result a fair index of the day’s proceedings.
Results: West Bengal 1 (Akash Hemram 32’) drew with Assam 1 (Rituraj Mohan 84’ p). Tamil Nadu 1 (M Umasankar 68’) beat Uttarakhand 0. Nagaland 2 (S Ayenmongba 33’, Laiwang Bohham 82’ p) drew with Rajasthan 2 (Amit Kumar 21’, Mukesh Kumar 76’ p)
