Bengal, Manipur in Santosh final

Guwahati: A fierce battle is on the card when 30-time winners Bengal take on underdogs Manipur in the final of the 65th Santosh Trophy at the Nehru Stadium here on Monday. Bengal under coaching of Sabbir Ali are looking for back to back win for the latest edition of the national football championship as they edged past Punjab 2-1 in last summit clash. Manipur, the winners of 2002-2003 edition at their home ground against Kerala, also set to look to make 100 per cent success in all final appearance on Monday after their last successful summit clash. Besides 30 times trophy win, Bengal took runner up trophy for 12 times, an enviable honour for any state in the country. An identical 1-0 win saw both the teams getting better of their opponents in the semifinals. Manipur left it late against Services only for Thoiba Singh to convert from the spot, Bengal proved to be good for Railways, who once again failed to live up to the expectations when it mattered.