Santosh Trophy: Ayub’s lone goal seals J&K’s QF berth

Hyderabad, Dec 23: Jammu and Kashmir sealed their quarterfinal spot in the 78th Senior Men’s National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy, after defeating Rajasthan 1-0 at the Deccan Arena, while Manipur thrashed hosts Telangana 3-1.

The side from the northernmost reaches of the country, with this result, are secured of a top-four finish in Group A; they end the group on seven points from five matches. Manipur, on the other hand, are secured of a second-placed finish, with 11 points from five games.

Jammu and Kashmir went into the match needing at least a draw to keep book their quarter-final spot, and managed to get all the three points in a match where they looked reasonably comfortable. Rajasthan needed to win and hope for a Manipur victory against Telangana.