RIYADH, Saudi Arabia: In December last year, when Karnataka went down to Delhi in the concluding preliminary Group 1 league match of the 76th National Football Championship for the Hero Santosh Trophy in Delhi, they weren’t sure about making the next stage as there were too many calculations involved in it.
Yet, on Saturday night, at the King Fahd International Stadium in the Saudi Arabian Capital, Karnataka not only emerged the proud champions with a hard-fought 3-2 win over Meghalaya, but also ended their 54-year wait for the title that remained elusive to them since the 1968-69 Nationals in Bangalore.
The battle for third place between Services and Punjab was no cliff-hanger as the former struck once in each half to win the game 2-0.
Individual Awards
Best Goalkeeper of the Championship: Rajat Paul Lyngdoh
Best Player of the Championship: Robin Yadav
