Bengaluru, January 22: Kerala progressed to the national round of the Santosh Trophy after drawing Tamil Nadu 0-0 in their South Zone Qualifying Round match at the Bangalore Football Stadium on Monday (Janaury 22).
Kerala, with a win and a draw, qualify because of their superior goal difference to Tamil Nadu, who also have four points in the three-team Group B. Kerala recorded a 7-0 win over Andhra Pradesh, while TN only managed to score one against AP. Earlier, Karnataka advanced from Group A after defeating Services 4-1 on Sunday.
| Karnataka qualify" />Kerala beat Andhra 7-0 | Karnataka qualify
Tamil Nadu proved a tough nut to crack for Kerala on Monday. They were a tight unit defensively and provided no room for the Kerala attackers to squeeze a shot in.
Kerala were still a threat in set-pieces and TN goalkeeper Manikandan M had to give it all to save a free-kick by Vibin Thomas in the first half. Thomas had struck off a similar free-kick against Andhra during their match last Friday.
In the second half, Sajith Poulose of Kerala missed a sitter which could have provided his team much-needed relief. Rahul KP pranced into the box and provided a cross for a free Poulose, who shot wide.
With about 10 minutes to go, Afdal VK again failed to be accurate for Kerala. Jithin pumped in a cross but Afdal struck wide from point-blank range.
Had TN found the back of the net at this stage, they would have qualified as the group winners. TN's entries into the box were limited though. They tried to win a penalty a minute before time by simulating but the referee was not deceived.
RESULT
Kerala 0 drew with Tamil Nadu 0