KERALA HAVE QUALIFIED FOR the main round of Santosh Trophy after topping the South Zone Group B in the qualifiers.
In a match where they needed a draw to secure qualification, Kerala took on Pondicherry in Kochi earlier today. The scoring began early wih Nijo Gilbert and Arjun Jayaraj getting the hosts 2-0 up within half an hour.
But 39 minutes in, Anson C Anto scored for Pondicherry, keeping the match competitive going into the half-time.
But in the second half, just before the hour mark, a period of defensive lapses caused Pondicherry to score twice within two minutes. It was Noufal P. N. and Bujair Valiyattu who scored for Kerala and secured the 4-1 victory.
With this win, Kerala became one of four (Along with Rajasthan, Odisha and Punjab) to earn a ticket to the final round of Santosh Trophy's prestigious 75th edition today.