Santosh Trophy
SHILLONG: Meghalaya’s hopes of progressing to the next round of the Santosh Trophy were quashed on Saturday when their were defeated by Railways 2-0 in their final North East Zone Group B match in Aizawl.
The day began with three of the four teams in the group all having a mathematical chance of topping the table, but the results went against the run of form.
Meghalaya had won their first two games, but the goals went against them on Saturday, with Rajesh (25th minute) and Kisku (86th), scoring, according to information received here.
Meghalaya needed just a point to make it through, but their good form failed them in the crunch game.
Railways ended the zonal stage with six points, the same as Meghalaya but with a better goal difference as well as head-to-head.
In the other match, Assam were held to a 2-2 draw with Tripura, giving the latter their only point in the competition. Assam ended on four.
Meanwhile, in the final games of Group A, which were played on Friday, Mizoram progressed to the next round with a 2-0 victory over arch-rivals Manipur in front of a massive crowd.
Manipur also only needed a draw to go through, but Mizoram sprung a surprise that was welcomed by the home supporters. The two states are arguably the strongest in the region.
In a consolation victory, Nagaland beat Arunachal Pradesh 2-0. Both teams were already out of contention for a spot in the next round
