Santosh Trophy: Kerala beat West Bengal 2-0 to top points table

With vociferous fans throwing their weight behind the team, Kerala were always going to be the favourites, although West Bengal are also among the title contenders.
Kerala football team celebrates after winning the Santosh trophy match against West Bengal. (Photo| Special Arrangement)
Kerala football team celebrates after winning the Santosh trophy match against West Bengal. (Photo| Special Arrangement)

KOCHI: Kerala's head coach Bino George is one of the most well-respected and highly qualified football coaches in the country. The veteran coach has played a crucial role in the rise of Gokulam Kerala FC as they climbed their way up the Indian football ladder. Bino was entrusted with the task of helping Kerala win the Santosh Trophy on home soil and expectations were high.

A coach who is known to bring the best out of young players, Bino seemed the right man to nurture Kerala's next crop of talent. After steering the hosts to the final round and securing a 5-0 win over Rajasthan in the first match, his biggest test yet in this championship came against West Bengal on Monday.

With vociferous fans throwing their weight behind the team, Kerala were always going to be the favourites, although West Bengal are also among the title contenders. As far as their fixtures in Group A went, this was always the toughest game alongside the clash against Punjab.

The big clash lived up to its billing as it was a closely fought affair where West Bengal refused to wilt under the pressure, but Kerala's quality shone through as they secured a hard-fought 2-0 win at the Manjeri Payyanad Stadium in Malappuram.

However, it was Ranjan Bhattacharjee's side that looked the more dominant of the two in the first half. They were winning the physical battles and not allowing Kerala time on the ball. Bino has always stuck to a philosophy of playing attractive football with intricate passing and building from the back. A well drilled Bengal side was not allowing Kerala to play their game.

The first half turned out to be a cagey affair as WB had the measure of Kerala. Kerala eventually managed to grow into the game as Bino's half-time talk seemed to have worked, as the hosts looked more in control with the likes of Arjun Jayaraj and Jijo Joseph putting their experience to good use by having more influence on the game.

Kerala was enjoying the bulk of possession but West Bengal defended resolutely with the side knowing that even a point against the red hot favourites would be crucial to keep their semifinal hopes alive. The onus was on Kerala to force the issue and they kept throwing the bodies forward in a bid to try and break West Bengal down. They finally found a breakthrough in the 84th minute.

Skipper Jijo who had scored a hat-trick against Rajasthan found himself unmarked inside the box and he picked out Noufal PN with a perfectly weighted ball. The substitute poked the ball past Priyant Singh who had looked unflappable till that point.

The hosts had goalkeeper Midhun V to thank after he produced a point-blank save from Supriya Pandit to deny West Bengal. Kerala then went on to put the result beyond doubt with Jesin Thonikkara finishing off an excellent counter-attacking move.

In what was the toughest assignment yet for Bino as the head coach of Kerala, he delivered the goods, while his side is playing an attractive brand of football.

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The New Indian Express
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