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Kerala qualify for Santosh Trophy national round after draw with Tamil Nadu

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.

By Aravind
The Kerala team receives a trophy for making the national round of the Santosh Trophy

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.

Kerala beat Andhra 7-0</a> | <a class=Karnataka qualify" title="Kerala beat Andhra 7-0 | 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.

Action from the Santosh Trophy match between Kerala and Tamil Nadu at the Bangalore Football Stadium on Monday

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

Story first published: Monday, January 22, 2018, 18:54 [IST]
Other articles published on Jan 22, 2018