Football
Santosh Trophy: Kerala put one foot in semis with 2-2 draw against Meghalaya
Gritty Meghalaya held out for a draw on Wednesday, but Kerala (7 points from 3 matches) are the runaway leaders in Group A.
Kerala vs Meghalaya in action at the Santosh Trophy (IFA)
Meghalaya held Kerala to a 2-2 draw in the Santosh Trophy on Wednesday and made the hosts wait to secure their spot in the semifinals.
M Muhammed Safnad gave Kerala the opening goal in the 17th minute from close range. Meghalaya equalised in the 40th minute to take the game to half-time level at 1-1. Meghalaya stunned the partisan crowd into silence by taking the lead in the second half before Kerala scored through Mohammad Sadeef in the 58th minute.
The hosts pushed for a winner deep into stoppage time in the second half but Meghalaya's defence held firm to deny them three points.
Kerala are runaway group leaders in Group A, with 7 points from 3 matches. Meghalaya, Bengal and Punjab are tied at second spot with 4 points from 2 matches. The race to secure the second spot in the group will be among these three teams, all of whom have two matches remaining.
In Group B, Odisha (4 points from 2 matches) are leading, followed by Manipur and Services.
