AIFF Media Team

ITANAGAR: It was a day of stalemates at the Golden Jubilee Stadium on Friday, March 1, 2024, as all three matches on the concluding day of Group A in the Santosh Trophy ended in draws.

In the day’s first outing, former champions Services finished on top of the group when they drew 1-1 with Kerala.

While Services finished with 10 points from five matches in the six-team group, Kerala completed their engagements with eight points.

Both goals in the match came in the first half. Kerala took the lead in the 22^nd minute off a corner kick. Kerala skipper Arjun V lobbed the ball diagonally at the far corner and Sajeesh E completed the job with a neat header.

Services were quick to press hard and finally found the equaliser just before halftime in the 45+4 minute through Samir Murmu, who so far has scored nine goals in the current Services were quick to press hard and finally found the equaliser just before halftime in the 45+4 minute through Samir Murmu, who so far has scored nine goals in the current edition.

The second place in Group A went to Goa after they drew 3-3 with Assam. While Delton Colaco, Lloyd Cardozo and Joshua D’Silva scored for Goa Pragyan Sundar, Sudeepta Konwar and Milan Basumatary found the goals for Assam, who ended up fourth in the group. All four teams—Services, Goa, Kerala and Assam—have already qualified for the quarter-finals.

In the day’s last match, hosts Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya, both of whom are already out of the reckoning for the last eight berths, played out a 2-2 draw. Megahalya, who took the lead in the 8^th minute through Chesterpoul Lyngdoh, found the net again in the 83^rd minute when Sheen Stevenson Sohktung converted a penalty. Tarh Dolu and Rahul Goju struck for Arunachal.