Santosh Trophy: Haryana and West Bengal secure victories in Group 4

by Chittu Shetty January 9, 2023

Haryana edges past Madhya Pradesh in a close encounter while West Bengal dominates Daman & Dadra to pick consecutive victories in Group IV encounter of Hero Santosh Trophy

Match 4 of the Hero Santosh Trophy Group 4 saw Haryana claim a 2-0 victory over Madhya Pradesh at the Chhatrapati Shahu Stadium.

The match got off to a fast start, with Haryana taking the lead in the 18th minute through a fantastic solo effort from Jeevesh. He received a throw-in from Hitesh, took the ball forward on the right wing, cut it back onto his left foot, and then drove into the box. He then cut it back onto his right foot and placed it past the goalkeeper from a tight angle to make it 1-0.

Four minutes later, Haryana doubled their lead thanks to a goalkeeping error from Shwang. Gurjeet Singh’s long freekick was headed goalwards by Hitesh Kadian from outside the box, and the ball bounced right in front of the Madhya Pradesh goalkeeper. Under pressure from Haryana’s strikers, Shwang missed the flight of the ball and it trickled past him into the goal.

In the second half, Madhya Pradesh made a comeback and pulled a goal back through Ishaan Sahi and Deependra Sisodiya in the 50th minute. Sahi made a run on the left wing and sent in a dangerous low cross into the near post, where Sisodiya smartly ghosted in to tap it past the goalkeeper.

Despite the comeback, Madhya Pradesh were unable to find an equalizer and the match ended 2-1 in favor of Haryana. The team will look to build on this victory in their next match, while Madhya Pradesh will need to regroup and come back stronger in their next outing.

FT: Haryana 2 – 1 Madhya Pradesh

Also Read: Arif Shaikh’s Late Goal Seals Victory for Maharashtra Over Chhattisgarh

West Bengal dominated from start to finish in their Group 4 matchup against Daman & Dadra in the Hero Santosh Trophy, securing a convincing 5-0 victory.

The match got off to a fast start, with West Bengal taking the lead in the fourth minute thanks to a tap-in from Robi Hansda off a low cross from Dipak Rajak. Bengal continued to dominate possession and create chances throughout the first half, and their lead was doubled in the 45th minute when Naro Shrestha scored off another assist from Dipak Rajak.

In the second half, West Bengal picked up right where they left off, with Robi Hansda scoring his second goal of the match in the 54th minute off a 1-2 with captain Naro Shrestha. Dipak Rajak added to his impressive assist tally with another one in the 63rd minute, setting up Naro Shrestha for his second goal of the match.

West Bengal continued to pile on the pressure, with substitute Souvik Kar scoring in the 83rd minute off yet another assist from Dipak Rajak. The match ended in a dominant 5-0 victory for West Bengal, with Dipak Rajak earning a hattrick of assists.

West Bengal’s strong performance will surely boost their confidence heading into the rest of the group stage, while Daman & Dadra will need to regroup and bounce back in their next match.

FT: Daman & Dadra 0 – 5 West Bengal

Cover Pic credit – IFA

Also Read: Chhattisgarh, West Bengal Start Santosh Trophy Campaign with Impressive Wins

Also Read: Maharashtra outshines Madhya Pradesh with 4-0 Win