YUPIA (ARUNACHAL): P.P. Shafeel scored with a spectacular pile-driver to help Services beat a strong Goa by a solitary goal in the final to lift the Santosh Trophy for the seventh time in the history of the premier inter-state senior men’s football competition.
Goa, the pre-final favourite, could not rise up to expectations as Services latched on to Shafeel’s 67th-minute strike and successfully preserved the lead till the end.
The opening session at the Golden Jubilee Stadium ended goalless as the attackers failed to find the desired touch at both ends. There was no dearth of action though as both sides adopted an open approach. They produced some nice raids that were either neutralised in the box or went wide for want of precision.
