Bengal secured their place in the final round of the Santosh Trophy as group champions after playing out a 0-0 draw with Bihar in Kalyani on Wednesday. Sanjoy Sen’s side finished Group C with 7 points, three points clear of Bihar, while Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand both recorded wins on the day.
Bengal came into the match in scintillating form, having overwhelmed Jharkhand (4-0) and Uttar Pradesh (7-0) in their previous two games. The hosts looked well-placed to top the group, a requirement for advancing to the next round. However, Sen’s squad faced a challenging task against Bihar, who could have advanced with a victory by surpassing the hosts on a head-to-head count.
Bengal started aggressively, but Bihar’s well-organized defensive setup thwarted their efforts. The hosts came close to breaking the deadlock towards the end of the first half when winger Amarnath Baskey surged into the box from the left. Bihar defender Arif Khan halted Baskey’s progress with an illegal push, prompting referee Shyamson Singh Chongtham to award a penalty kick.
Robi Hansda, who had scored six goals in Bengal’s previous two games, stepped up to take the spot-kick, but his effort was denied by Bihar goalkeeper Sunny Raj, as the ball struck the crossbar in the 40th minute.
Bengal continued to dominate play after the break. Manotos Maji, who came on as a second-half substitute, almost snatched the win at the death, but he was unable to convert from close range following a low cross from Baskey.
The final round will now feature nine group winners, joining reigning champions Services, last year’s runners-up Goa, and hosts Telangana. These 12 teams will be divided into two groups of six, with the top four from each group advancing to the quarterfinals.
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