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Kerala come up against Bengal in the summit clash of the prestigious event on New Year’s Eve at the GMC Balayogi Stadium in Hyderabad.
Santosh Trophy: Kerala vs Bengal. (X)
The highly-charged final of the Santosh Trophy 2024-25 will be contested between two powerhouses of Indian football as Kerala take on Bengal in the battle for the coveted piece of silverware on New Year’s Eve at the GMC Balayogi Stadium in Hyderabad.
Both sides have won nine of their ten assignments in the tournament ahead of the summit clash and will look to outbid each other for the esteemed title.
32-time Santosh Trophy champions Bengal will be part of the final for the 47th time, while Kerala, who have seven titles to their name will look to add one more to their collection on their 16th appearance in the championship match.
Bengal head coach Sanjoy Sen voiced that reaching the final would not carry any meaning for his side if they do not end up clinching the title.
“Perhaps reaching the Santosh Trophy final is an achievement for other states, but that is not the case for us. It means nothing to Bengal – Zero!” he exclaimed.
“Unless we win the trophy, it all counts for nothing,” Sen added.
“Yes, we have won the tournament 32 times in the past, but the Santosh Trophy is a much bigger tournament now in terms of the number of states that participate in it,” he continued.
“I do not intend to downplay past achievements, but I feel that it is more difficult to win it now,” said Sen.
Kerala gaffer Biby Thomas Muttath echoed Sen’s sentiments and vowed to try everything at his disposal to bring the cup back to God’s Own Country.
“The Santosh Trophy is like a World Cup for us, back in Kerala,” Muttath began.
“The minimum expectation is for us to reach the final, but of course, everyone wants nothing less than a win,” he said.
Kerala have hit a rich goal-scoring vein of form as they have found the back of the net an astounding 35 times in the tournament with multiple-goal scorers crossing the five-goal mark.
Bengal, on the contrary, have netted 27 times in the campaign thank to the goal-scoring prowess of their forwards Robi Hansda, who leads the goal-scoring charts, and Naro Hari Shrestha.
Sen touched upon his side’s over-reliance on the forwards for their goals to come by but praised the work and attitude of his players who have brought in the majority of the strikes.
“It is of course good for the strikers, but as long as we win, I don’t care who scores,” Sen said.
“It helps to have a number of scorers in the team, as we would not have to depend on Robi or Naro Hari,” he continued.
“But I am happy to see these boys scoring regularly at this level,” he added.
Muttath she light on the bolstered quality of the tournament as he hailed the talent abundant in all four sides that reached the semifinal and went on to add the crucial role the states that have made the final play in the Indian football ecosystem.
“I think any of the four semifinalists had enough quality to win the tournament, but fortunately or otherwise, it’s Bengal and Kerala in the final. Both are hubs of Indian football, and we expect a tough fight on matchday,” Muttath said.
Hansda, who has netted a whopping eleven goals en route his side’s place in the final, expressed confidence in putting his best foot forward in the summit clash.
“It’s been an amazing tournament for me so far. I can’t believe that I’ve been able to score so many goals,” Hansda said.
“It’s the first time that I will play the final, so I want to put my best foot forward,” he added.
Kerala midfielder Nijo Gilbert opined that the simmering tension ahead of the encounter makes the championship clash all the more special.
“There’s somewhat of a rivalry between Bengal and Kerala – it’s almost like a derby,” Gilbert said.
“I think that it will be a very close game, but hopefully, we will go home with the trophy,” he continued.
“What’s important for us is to stick to the system that our coach lays out for us,” Gilbert concluded.
