View source for 2018 Santosh Trophy Final

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}}
{{Infobox football match
| title                   = 2018 Santosh Trophy Final
| image                   = 
| caption                 = 
| event                   = [[2017–18 Santosh Trophy]]
| team1                   = [[Kerala football team|Kerala]]
| team1association        = 
| team1score              = 2
| team2                   = [[West Bengal football team|West Bengal]]
| team2association        = 
| team2score              = 2
| details                 = After [[Overtime (sports)#Association football|extra time]] <br> Kerala won 4–2 on [[Penalty shoot-out (association football)|penalties]]
| date                    = 1 April 2018
| stadium                 = [[Salt Lake Stadium]]
| city                    = [[Kolkata]], [[West Bengal]]
| man_of_the_match1a      = 
| man_of_the_match1atitle =
| man_of_the_match1b      =
| man_of_the_match1btitle =
| referee                 = 
| attendance              = 
| weather                 = 
| previous                = [[2017 Santosh Trophy Final|2017]]
| next                    = [[2019 Santosh Trophy Final|2019]]
}}
The '''2018 Santosh Trophy Final''' was a match between [[Kerala football team|Kerala]] and [[West Bengal football team|West Bengal]], played on 1 April 2018, at the [[Salt Lake Stadium]] in [[Kolkata]], [[West Bengal]]. The match was a culmination of the [[2017–18 Santosh Trophy]], the 72nd edition of the [[association football|football]] competition contested by regional [[States and union territories of India|state]] associations and government institutions under the [[All India Football Federation]].<ref name="Final">{{cite news|title=Santosh Trophy final phase to kick off in Kolkata on March 19|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/football/santosh-trophy-final-phase-to-kick-off-in-kolkata-on-march-19/story-Kun7FWQ44VmsFg7WAATt0I.html|accessdate=12 March 2018|work=Hindustan Times|date=21 February 2018}}</ref> Kerala won the match after defeating West Bengal in a penalty shootout 4–2. In regulation time, the match ended 1–1 while during extra time, a goal each found both sides tied 2–2 after 120 minutes.

Kerala entered this edition of the Santosh Trophy after qualifying from Group B of the [[2017–18 Santosh Trophy qualification#Group B 5|South Zone]] qualifiers. West Bengal entered after qualifying from Group B of the [[2017–18 Santosh Trophy qualification#Group B 2|East Zone]] qualifiers. Prior to the start of the competition proper, both Kerala and West Bengal were placed in Group A for the first round. Both sides faced each other in the final match of the round, both winning their previous three matches. Kerala came away as the 1–0 winners to win the group.

West Bengal entered the match as the defending champions after winning the Santosh Trophy the previous year in [[2017 Santosh Trophy Final|2017]].

==Road to the final==
{{details|2017–18 Santosh Trophy|2017–18 Santosh Trophy qualification}}

The [[Santosh Trophy]] is an [[association football]] knock-out competition contested by the regional [[States and union territories of India|state]] associations and government institutions under the [[All India Football Federation]] (AIFF), the sport's governing body in India. Started in 1941, the competition was considered the top domestic football championship in India, prior to the start of the [[National Football League (India)|National Football League]] in 1996.<ref name="History">{{cite news|last1=Anand|first1=Vijay|title=The history of Santosh Trophy|url=http://www.sportskeeda.com/football/the-history-of-santosh-trophy|accessdate=18 December 2016|work=SportsKeeda|date=16 March 2014}}</ref> The 2017–18 competition is the 72nd edition of the Santosh Trophy.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Ganguly|first1=Abhishek|title=72nd Santosh Trophy: Bengal wary of Karnataka’s flair|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/football/top-stories/72nd-santosh-trophy-bengal-wary-of-karnatakas-flair/articleshow/63540573.cms|accessdate=31 March 2018|work=Times of India|date=30 March 2018}}</ref>

In order to enter the competition proper, teams had to go through a qualification round based on their region.<ref>{{cite web|title=Santosh Trophy qualifiers|url=https://us.soccerway.com/national/india/santhosh-trophy/2018/north-east/r40571/|website=Soccerway}}</ref> Kerala were placed in Group B of the [[2017–18 Santosh Trophy qualification#Group B 5|South Zone]] qualifiers while West Bengal were placed in Group B of the [[2017–18 Santosh Trophy qualification#Group B 2|East Zone]] qualifiers. Kerala topped their group consisting of [[Andhra Pradesh football team|Andhra Pradesh]] and [[Tamil Nadu football team|Tamil Nadu]] to qualify.<ref>{{cite web|title=Santosh Trophy South Zone qualifiers|url=https://us.soccerway.com/national/india/santhosh-trophy/2018/south/r40573/|website=Soccerway}}</ref> West Bengal would also top their group consisting of [[Chhattisgarh football team|Chhattisgarh]] and [[Jharkhand football team|Jharkhand]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Santosh Trophy East Zone qualifiers|url=https://us.soccerway.com/national/india/santhosh-trophy/2018/east/r40567/|website=Soccerway}}</ref>

===Kerala===
Prior to reaching the 2018 final, [[Kerala football team|Kerala]] had played the final of the [[Santosh Trophy]] 13 times, winning on five occasions, most recently in 2004.<ref name="STF">{{cite web|title=Santosh Trophy Finals|url=http://www.rsssf.com/tablesi/indiasantoshhist.html|website=RSSSF}}</ref> For this edition of the tournament, Kerala were placed in Group A with [[Chandigarh football team|Chandigarh]], [[Maharashtra football team|Maharashtra]], [[Manipur football team|Manipur]], and eventually final opponent [[West Bengal football team|West Bengal]].<ref name="Group A">{{cite news|title=Santosh Trophy giants Bengal wary of defending crown at home|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/football/top-stories/santosh-trophy-giants-bengal-wary-of-defending-crown-at-home/articleshow/63355200.cms|accessdate=31 March 2018|work=Times of India|date=18 March 2018}}</ref>

Kerala's first match of the competition occurred on 19 March against Chandigarh. A brace from Jithin M.S. and three goals from Sajith Poulose, Afdal V.K. and Sreekuttan V.S. respectively earned Kerala an opening 5–1 victory.<ref>{{cite news|title=Santosh Trophy: Kerala thrash Chandigarh 5-1 in opener|url=http://english.mathrubhumi.com/sports/football/santosh-trophy-kerala-thrash-chandigarh-5-1-in-opener-1.2682382|accessdate=31 March 2018|work=Mathrubhumi|date=19 March 2018}}</ref> Four days later, Kerala defeated Manipur 6–0. Jithin Gopalan scored a brace while Afdal V.K., Rahul K.P., and Jithin M.S. scored the other three goals. The sixth goal came from an own goal by Roshan Singh.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Sarangi|first1=Y.B.|title=Santosh Trophy: Kerala runs riot against Manipur|url=http://www.thehindu.com/sport/football/santosh-trophy-kerala-runs-riot-against-manipur/article23337027.ece|accessdate=31 March 2018|work=The Hindu|date=23 March 2018}}</ref> Two days later, on 25 March, Kerala would earn another major victory, 3–0 over Maharashtra. Rahul Raj opened the scoring in the 24th minute before Jithin M.S. scored his fourth goal of the tournament in the 39th. Rahul K.P. scored Kerala's third in the 58th minute.<ref>{{cite news|title=Santosh Trophy: Kerala brush aside Maharashtra to reach semis|url=https://www.mid-day.com/articles/santosh-trophy-kerala-brush-aside-maharashtra-to-reach-semis/19246189|accessdate=31 March 2018|work=Mid-Day|date=25 March 2018}}</ref> Finally, on 27 March, Kerala played their final match of the group stage against eventually final opponent West Bengal. Rahul K.P. scored his third goal of the tournament in the 90th minute to give Kerala the victory and top of the group.<ref name="WBK">{{cite news|title=Santosh Trophy: Kerala beat Bengal to finish top of Group A|url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/santosh-trophy-kerala-beat-bengal-to-finish-top-of-group-a-118032800048_1.html|accessdate=31 March 2018|work=Business Standard|date=27 March 2018}}</ref>

With the group stage finished, Kerala would take on [[Mizoram football team|Mizoram]] in the knockout semi-final match at the [[Mohun Bagan Ground]].<ref name="Semis">{{cite news|title=Mizoram could ask questions of Kerala|url=http://www.thehindu.com/sport/other-sports/mizoram-could-ask-questions-of-kerala/article23385476.ece|accessdate=31 March 2018|work=The Hindu|date=29 March 2018}}</ref> An Afdal V.K. goal in the 54th minute was enough to give Kerala the victory and a spot in their 14th final.<ref name="Semi-finals">{{cite news|title=Santosh Trophy: Defending champions Bengal set up title clash with lucky Kerala|url=https://scroll.in/field/873924/santosh-trophy-defending-champions-bengal-set-up-title-clash-with-kerala|accessdate=31 March 2018|work=Scroll.in|date=30 March 2018}}</ref>

===West Bengal===
West Bengal is entering this final as the most winningest team in competition history, winning the competition 32 times, including the final from the [[2017 Santosh Trophy Final|previous year]]. As well as their 32 championships, West Bengal were runners-up in the tournament 12 times. The second most winningest side in the competition is [[Punjab football team|Punjab]], with eight championships.<ref name="STF"/>

For this edition of the Santosh Trophy, West Bengal were placed in Group A alongside [[Chandigarh football team|Chandigarh]], [[Maharashtra football team|Maharashtra]], [[Manipur football team|Manipur]], and their finals opponent, [[Kerala football team|Kerala]].<ref name="Group A"/> Their match was against Manipur on 19 March at the [[Sailen Manna Stadium]]. A Sumit Das brace and a goal from Bidyasagar Singh gave West Bengal a comfortable 3–0 opening victory.<ref>{{cite news|title=Santosh Trophy: Bengal blank Manipur; Kerala wallop Chandigarh|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/football/top-stories/santosh-trophy-bengal-blank-manipur-kerala-wallop-chandigarh/articleshow/63368569.cms|accessdate=31 March 2018|work=Times of India|date=19 March 2018}}</ref> Two days later, West Bengal took on Maharashtra and won 5–1. Maharashtra took the lead early in the 8th minute through Leander Dharmai. West Bengal came back in the second half and equalized through Manotosh Chakladar in the 55th minute. Jiten Mumru then gave West Bengal the lead in the 62nd minute before Bidyashagar Singh scored their third in the 79th minute. The scoring was rounded off by a Bidyashagar Singh goal for a brace and Rajon Barman.<ref>{{cite news|title=Santosh Trophy: Bengal hammer Maharashtra 5-1|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/football/top-stories/santosh-trophy-bengal-hammer-maharashtra-5-1/articleshow/63399588.cms|accessdate=31 March 2018|work=Times of India|date=21 March 2018}}</ref>

Then, on 25 March, Bidyashagar Singh scored his third goal of the tournament as West Bengal defeated Chandigarh 1–0.<ref name="Chandigarh">{{cite news|title=Below-par Bengal make Santosh Trophy semifinals|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/football/top-stories/below-par-bengal-make-santosh-trophy-semifinals/articleshow/63459874.cms|accessdate=31 March 2018|work=Times of India|date=26 March 2018}}</ref> Despite the victory, West Bengal head coach, Ranjan Chowdhury, was displeased with his team's performance: "I’m not at all happy with the team’s performance. We probably played the worst match of the tournament today."<ref name="Chandigarh"/> Two days later, West Bengal succumbed to their first defeat of the tournament, a 1–0 defeat against their finals opponent Kerala.<ref name="WBK"/>

After the group stage, with West Bengal finishing second in Group A, the side were to play Group B winners [[Karnataka football team|Karnataka]] on 30 March. During the match, West Bengal captain Jiten Murmu opened the scoring in the 57th minute before [[Tirthankar Sarkar]] secured the victory for West Bengal in the 92nd minute and sent his side to their 45th final.<ref>{{cite news|title=Bengal Blank Karnataka 2-0 to set up Kerala date in Hero Santosh Trophy Final|url=http://www.indiansportsnews.com/isn-specials/13-football/46278-bengal-blank-karnataka-2-0-to-set-up-kerala-date-in-hero-santosh-trophy-final|accessdate=31 March 2018|work=Indian Sports News|date=30 March 2018}}</ref>

==Pre-match==
===Host selection===
[[File:Salt Lake Stadium.jpg|thumb|Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata|alt=Inside the stadium.]]
On 21 February 2018, it was announced by the [[All India Football Federation]] that the Santosh Trophy would take place in [[Kolkata]].<ref name="Selection">{{cite news|title=Santosh Trophy final phase to kick off in Kolkata on March 19|url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/santosh-trophy-final-phase-to-kick-off-in-kolkata-on-march-19-118022100777_1.html|accessdate=31 March 2018|work=Business Standard|date=21 February 2018}}</ref> Prior to the beginning of the tournament, Kushal Das, the AIFF's General Secretary, said that he was looking forward to the [[Indian Football Association]] (West Bengal's state football federation) successfully hosting the competition.<ref name="Selection"/>

Before the final, during the tournament, three different stadiums were used in and around Kolkata. The [[Rabindra Sarobar Stadium]] and the [[Sailen Manna Stadium]] were extensively used throughout the group stage before the [[Mohun Bagan Ground]] hosted some matches towards the end of the group stage and during the semi-finals.<ref>{{cite news|title=Santosh Trophy: Karnataka, Mizoram join Bengal and Kerala in semi-final|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/football/santosh-trophy-karnataka-mizoram-join-bengal-and-kerala-in-semi-final/story-BJq1OY72rstFSl3Fr8IgPI.html|accessdate=31 March 2018|work=Hindustan Times|date=28 March 2018}}</ref> For the final of the competition, the match will be played at the [[Salt Lake Stadium]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Bengal to face Kerala in Santosh Trophy final|url=http://www.thehindu.com/sport/football/bengal-to-face-kerala-in-santosh-trophy-final/article23393674.ece|accessdate=31 March 2018|work=The Hindu|date=30 March 2018}}</ref>

===Analysis===
Despite taking the victory in their prior match during the group stage, [[Kerala football team|Kerala]] will not come into this match as favorites. Due to being hosts in the final and history, [[West Bengal football team|West Bengal]] are favorites. Previously, both Kerala and West Bengal have met in the final of the Santosh Trophy twice, back in 1989 and 1994. On both occasions, West Bengal came out as the winners in penalty shootouts.<ref name="Preview">{{cite news|last1=Rajan|first1=Adwaidh|title=Kerala have score to settle in final|url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/football/2018/apr/01/kerala-have-score-to-settle-in-final-1795427.html|accessdate=31 March 2018|work=New Indian Express|date=1 April 2018}}</ref> However, even with history not on Kerala's side, their head coach, Satheevan Balan, was optimistic before the final: "We know the statistics. But that is not something we are concerned about. Stats have been against us since the start of the tournament. We were not fancied when we started the campaign and many doubted us to even make it past the qualifiers. But now we are in the final. We have considered every game as a final since arriving here and on Sunday, it will be the same."<ref name="Preview"/>

For West Bengal, the hosts will be looking to reverse their defeat to Kerala from the group stage. "There is no pressure. The team has confidence in its ability to win the final,” said Bengal head coach Ranjan Chowdhury. “They are organised and strong defensively. Whoever wins needs to earn the trophy by playing well."<ref name="Preview"/> West Bengal will also enter the match still as reigning champions, after they won in the final the [[2017 Santosh Trophy Final|previous season]] against [[Goa football team|Goa]] 1–0.<ref name="Preview 2">{{cite news|title=Santosh Trophy: Kerala to face defending champs Bengal in title clash|url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/football/2018/mar/31/santosh-trophy-kerala-to-face-defending-champs-bengal-in-title-clash-1795042.html|accessdate=31 March 2018|work=New Indian Express|date=31 March 2018}}</ref> For Kerala, this will be their first final appearance since 2013 and their first attempt to win the trophy since 2004. "We can create history as it was 14 years ago that Kerala last won the prestigious trophy, but we will play without pressure," said head coach, Satheevan Balan.<ref name="Preview 2"/>

Coming into the match, West Bengal had the league's best defense, only conceding twice throughout the tournament while Kerala have scored the most goals during the competition.<ref name="Preview"/>

==Match==
{{Football box
|date = 1 April 2018
|time = 15:00 [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
|team1 = [[Kerala football team|Kerala]]
|score = 2–2
|report = [https://www.the-aiff.com/news-center-details.htm?id=8873 Report]
|team2 = [[West Bengal football team|West Bengal]]
|goals1 = Gopalan {{goal|19}}<br/>Thomas {{goal|117}}
|goals2 = Murmu {{goal|68}}<br/>[[Tirthankar Sarkar|Sarkar]] {{goal|120+2}}
|aet=yes
|penaltyscore=4–2
|penalties1=
* Rahul {{pengoal}}
* Jithin {{pengoal}}
* Jestin {{pengoal}}
* Seassan {{pengoal}}
|penalties2=
* {{penmiss}} Ankit
* {{penmiss}} Nabi
* {{pengoal}} [[Tirthankar Sarkar|Sarkar]]
* {{pengoal}} Sanchayan
|stadium = [[Salt Lake Stadium]], [[Kolkata]]
|attendance = 5,500
|referee= 
}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.the-aiff.com/tournaments-details.htm?tnmt_id=116 Santosh Trophy at All India Football Federation website].

{{Santosh Trophy}}
{{2017–18 in Indian football}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:2018 Santosh Trophy Final}}

{{#seo:
|keywords=Football in Kolkata, Sports competitions in Kolkata, History of Kerala (1947–present)
|description=
}}

[[Category:2017–18 Santosh Trophy|Final]]
[[Category:Football in Kolkata]]
[[Category:Sports competitions in Kolkata]]
[[Category:April 2018 sports events in India|Santosh Trophy Final]]
[[Category:History of Kerala (1947–present)]]