Santosh trophy 2023-24 final highlights: Services clinches narrow 1-0 win against Goa, takes overall title count to seven

CHAMPION - Services hangs on and it beats Goa by a 1-0 scoreline to win the 77th National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy. Shafeel PP’s goal proves to be the difference between the two sides. 

With the win, Services take their title count to seven in the history of the competition. 

Faheez has the Services defence on strings as he goes on a mesmerising run, beating at least three players into his way in the box. He takes the shot from the right but cannot hit the back of the net. Services breahes a sigh of relief. 

Services is almost over the line. It is a minute away from winning the 77th Santosh Trophy final and clinching its seventh title in the competition. 

Almost an equaliser for Goa. Deeshank sends in a teasing delivery inside the box. Abdul Kadir comes out to collect but cannot prevent D’Silva from getting his header away. The effort is on target and the ball almost creeps inside the net but a goalline clearance saves Services and keeps its precious lead intact. 

Goa booking: Castanha is the latest player to enter the referee’s book, as he sees a yellow card. 

Kamei swings in a good cross inside the Goa box from a corner. Murmu gets at the end of the cross and heads the ball at goal but Antonio Dylan does well to make the save. If that had gone in, it would have been game over for Goa. 

Eight minutes added at the end of the second-half!

Goa coming out all guns blazing, in search of an equaliser. The ball falls kindly for Vellington Fernandes, who goes for a shot on the volley. He misses the target but not by much. Nervy moments for the Services backline. 

Services sub: IN- Bidhyasagar Singh OUT- Rane 

Subham Rana cannot complete the match as he is stretchered off the pitch. 

Joshua D’Silva gets behind the Services backline and tries to get away a shot at goal. But his first touch with his chest is too heavy and he cannot get his shot away. Abdul Kadir shows brave keeping to dive at the legs of D’Silva and collect the ball. 

Clencio Pinto has a chance to equalise for Goa as he tries to chip Abdul Kadir after receiving a diagonal from the right flank. Abdul Kadir does well to make the save but it does not matter as Pinto is flagged offside. 

Services sub: IN- Thapa OUT- Vijay

Samir Murmu goes past his marker on the left flank and tries to deliver a cross inside the box. But, his cross is anticipated and the attack ends for the Services. 

Faheez looks for an immediate equaliser as he goes for a shot at goal. Abdul Kadir does well to get down and parry the ball. 

Rahul Ramakrishnan sets up Shafeel for the shot at the edge of the box and the latter obliges by pulling the trigger hard and low. His technique is flawless and the grounded effort rattles the back of the net. Antonio Dyland dove at full stretch but could not make the save. 

Boinao goes for a shot at goal from almost near the half-way line. From there, he needed some wordly to find the net. Instead, the shot is weak and rolls to Antonio Dylan. 

Faheez goes down on the left flank and looks for a free-kick near the Services box but the referee asks him to get up. The attack is still alive as Clencio Pinto gets the ball. He makes his way to the goal-line and goes for a low cross but the quality is poor, as he sends it straight to the opponent. 

Goa sub: IN- Pinto OUT- Rane 

The match is going through a lull at the moment, with neither team showing any positive intent to get the breakthrough. As a result, the crowd at the Golden Jubilee Stadium has gone relatively silent. 

Services skipper Kamei goes for an ambitious shot from distance. His shot is nowhere near the target and he seems to be limping a bit. 

There is a mistake by the Goa backline, which allows Rane to get the ball. He opens te face of his boot and goes for the curler from the right side of the box, Most likely, he intended to find the far-corner but sends the ball straight to Antonio Dylan. 

Faheez sprints at full pace to get to the end of a through ball played to him down the left flank. Once he gets the ball, he tries to beat his marker Pardeep with a couple of stepovers but as soon as he cuts in, Pardeep anticipates the move and snatches the ball from Faheez

Scores level at 0-0 in the second-half of the 77th Santosh Trophy final between Services and Goa kicks-off at the Golden Jubilee Stadium in Yupia, Arunachal Pradesh. 

Goa ahead of Services in terms of creating goalscoring chances but the match is goalless at the break. 

Stay tuned for live updates from the second-half. We will be back after a short break.

Faheez goes for a first-time shot from close distance as a cross comes in from the right. Faheez connects well but Abdul Kadir shows his reflexes to make the save at his near-post. 

Now, Services launches a counter-attack but nothing comes off it, 

Two minutes added at the end of the first-half!

Faheez pings an excellent cross inside the Services box and Maristo Fernandes gets at the end of it. Fernandes goes for a first-time grounded effort, almost trying to place the ball inside the net. But the effort is straight at Abdul Kadir, who does well to hold on the ball. Boinao Singh was the one marking Fernandes but could not do enough to prevent the latter from reaching the ball before him. 

A cross comes inside the Services box from the right. Rane jumps in order to try and get a header way on target. But the ball is too high for him to reach. Rana collects the ball and carries it to safety much to the relief of his team. 

Services sub: IN- Pardeep OUT- Sagayaraj

Goa booking: Subham Rana sees a yellow card 

Sagayaraj catches Castanha with an extended leg as he tries to win the ball. Both have gone down injured after contact and the medical personnel are on the pitch right now, tending to the players. 

Faheez beats his marker on the right flank and swings a cross inside the box. but it is a disappointing one as he sends the ball out of play. 

The tempo of the match has gone down slightly, with both teams letting their opponents have the ball in their respective halves. It remains to be seen who can find an opening.

Goa is currently enjoying more of the ball with 57% possession compared to Services’ 43%. 

Goa’s Jobern Cardozo goes for a first-time shot from the right side of the box but cannot keep his effort on target, as the ball sails above the crossbar and goes out of play. 

Laximanrao Rane escapes a challenge and makes a talismanic run into the Services box. Keeper Abdul Kadir comes off his line to try and narrow the angle and succeeds in doing so, as Rane’s shot whistles past the post. 

The Services backline seemed to have suddenly shut off, which gave Rane the opening to make the run. 

Murmu does well to find Shubham Rana in a tight area. Rana creates some space for himself and pulls the trigger. The shot is straight at Antonio Dylan, who collects the ball without fuss. 

Services had a good chance to threaten the Goa goal, after getting a freekick ion a dangerous area. Kamei tries a training ground routine by going low and trying to find a teammate but he ends up sending the ball straight to the opponent. 

Services stitch together a good attacking move and penetrate the Goa final third. Mahammed Faheez gets the ball and goes for a shot from distance. The shot does not lack power but it is straight at Services keeper Abdul Kadir, who does well to hold on to the ball. 

Vijay makes a bursting run down the left flank and finds Samir Murmu with the cutback. Murmu goes for a first-time shot but he cannot make a proper connection with the ball. It is an easy collect for the Goa keeper. 

Services tries to catch out the Goa backline with an early ball over the top but keeper Antonio Dylan comes out to collect the ball. 

It is a decent start from both teams, with neither getting too much time on the ball. Both teams have opted to go for the press early on. Expect possibilities of some early mistakes and a fast start to the title clash. 

The first-half of the 77th Santosh Trophy final between Services and Goa is underway at the Golden Jubilee Stadium in Yupia, Arunachal Pradesh. 

Services: Abdul Kadir (GK); Sagayaraj, Boinao, Samananda Singh, Shafeel; Vijay, Kamei (C), Khongsai, Rana, Ramakrishnan, Murmu 

Goa: Da Silva (GK); Ali (C), Colaco, Kunkalikar, Castanha; Gawas, Cardozo, Rane, Gaonkar, Faheez, Fernandes

Played: 11

Goa wins: 5

Draws: 3

Services wins: 3

The Goa team has attracted fervent support with its performance in this football-crazy state of Arunachal Pradesh, thousands of kilometres away from home. It will be counting on this fan factor to motivate itself against a competitive Services in the final of the 77th National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy. 

The title clash, at the Golden Jubilee Stadium here on Saturday, is expected to see a thrilling contest between former champions Services and Goa - both having overcome gritty opponents in Mizoram and Manipur. 

As it remains, the standard of the competition has been high, with most of the teams showing great competitive spirit with homegrown talents. 

The Goa squad is a composition of players harvested from clubs that play in the Second Division of the national league structure. Its comeback performance to tumultuous support against the efficiency and flair of Manipur, which led till late in injury-time in the semifinal, gave out a lot about Goa’s position as one of the most talented teams in the competition. 

- Amitabha Das Sharma

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Santosh Trophy: Final hurdle for Goa and Services as both teams meet in summit clash

The two sides have met 11 times in the tournament, with Goa winning five times and the Services emerging victorious on three occasions. The remaining three ended in a draw

When and where will the Services vs Goa 77th Santosh Trophy final kick-off?

The 77th Santosh Trophy final between Services and Goa will kick-off at 7 PM IST on Saturday, March 9 at the Golden Jubilee Stadium in Yupia, Arunchal Pradesh. 

Where can you watch the Services vs Goa 77th Santosh Trophy final?

The live streaming of the Services vs Goa Santosh Trophy final will be available on the YouTube channel of the Arunachal Pradesh Football Association in India. 

You can also live-stream the match on FIFA+ app and website. 

There is no live telecast of the Santosh Trophy 2023-24 final in India as of now.