Cuttack: Tamil Nadu defeated Manipur 2-0 on Saturday and set a date with Services in the final of the 66th Santosh Trophy
Striker A Reagan scored the first goal in the 35th minute and substitute M David sealed the fate in the 85th minute in the second semi-final here on Saturday evening.
Tamil Nadu started on a cautious note and stayed willing to play the waiting game.
They allowed their opponents to come to them, but never opened their goalmouth. Their penchant for counters also worked wonders for them.
After a series of attacks, the southern team took the lead in the 35th minute. Jayakumar’s defence-splitting pass opened up the Manipur defence and striker Reagan beat rival stopper James Singh for speed and tapped it past an onrushing rival goalkeeper Basant Singh.
Tamil Nadu who looked more purposeful in the first half, should have gained the lead much earlier. In the 20th minute, Nirmal Kumar broke free as James chased but his tap from the top of the box went wide.
Four minutes later, Jayakumar after being set in the clear by John Paul, shot straight to Basant from a hand-shaking distance.
Manipur fizzled out a bit as the game progressed. Tamil Nadu sealed the fate in the 85th minute, a counter-attack doing the trick for them. Substitute M David finished it off as he slotted past Basant. (UNI)