Source: AIFF
Guwahati, Feb 28: Assam suffered a 0-2 defeat against Services in a Group A match of the 77th National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy 2023–24, held at the Golden Jubilee Stadium in Yupia, Itanagar, on February 28.
Assam found themselves at a disadvantage from the start as they lost two key players, Dipu Mirdha and Joydeep Gogoi, to two yellow cards each. Thingnam Bidhyasagar Singh opened the scoring for Services in the 44th minute, providing them with a crucial advantage. P Christopher Kamei further extended Services' lead in the 50th minute.
Despite creating chances, Assam's players failed to capitalise, allowing Services to control the match and capitalise on their opportunities effectively.
In today’s match, two yellow cards were shown- one to Rahul Ramakrishnan (77th minute) of Services and another to Aman Chetri (90+5th minute) of Assam.
Assam faces a crucial encounter against Goa on March 1, with their quarterfinal qualification at stake. While the match against Goa is expected to be challenging, Assam, known as giant killers under the mentorship of head coach Subam Rabha, will strive to secure a victory.
Furthermore, Assam could also advance to the quarterfinals if Kerala loses to Arunachal Pradesh later in the day.
In their previous matches, Assam secured victories against hosts Arunachal Pradesh with a score line of 2-0 on February 25 and stunned Meghalaya with a 2-1 win on February 23. However, they faced a defeat against Kerala in their opening match, losing 1-3.
A total of 12 teams are competing in the final rounds of the Santosh Trophy, with Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Goa, Assam, Services, and Kerala forming Group A, while Karnataka, Maharashtra, Delhi, Manipur, Mizoram, and Railways are placed in Group B.
The quarterfinals are scheduled to be held from March 4, followed by the semi-finals on March 7, with the final taking place on March 9.
