Riyadh, March 3: Meghalaya will seek a maiden title while a resurgent Karnataka aim for their first triumph in 54 years when the two teams face off in the summit clash of the National Football Championships for the Santosh Trophy here on Saturday.
While it will be historic if the northeastern state of Meghalaya win the trophy, Karnataka have the chance to end their long wait for success and reassert themselves as a football power in the country.
Playing in their first-ever semi-finals, Meghalaya beat former champions Punjab, having come back from a one-goal deficit to make it to their maiden final.
Karnataka were a force to reckon with in Indian football when they won the Santosh Trophy the last time in the 1968-69 season. At that time, the state was called Mysore.
Karnataka finished runners-up in 1975-76 after losing to Bengal in the final. It was their last appearance in the title clash before this edition.
It is difficult to predict who will emerge champions on Saturday at the King Fahd International Stadium where the business end of the Santosh Trophy is being hosted by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF).
Former champions Punjab and Services were the favourites to feature in the summit clash but Meghalaya and Karnataka stunned their fancied opponents.
Who controls the midfield better will again decide the result of the final and Karnataka head coach Ravi Babu Raju knows it too well.
“Against Services, we knew they had some very good midfielders, so we analysed their play and we were able to neutralise them. It’s the same for Meghalaya, they are also very good at the midfield,” he said.
“So, we are analysing their video clippings and will chalk out our game plan. We believe we can win tomorrow, we have not won the trophy for more than 50 years. We have come here to take the trophy home.” Both Meghalaya and Karnataka keep the ball and play mostly short and ground passes, instead of long balls as both sides don’t have too many tall players.
Meghalaya head coach Khlain Syiemlieh said his boys will do whatever it takes to lift the trophy.
“You know, the football crazy fans at home have huge expectations from the team. They want us not to lose this chance to create history and my boys know it,” the head coach said.
“We have prepared very well, analysed Karnataka how they play and we are confident that we can win our maiden title.” The Video Assistant Referee (VAR), to be operated by the SAFF officials, is expected to be used on Saturday, which will be the first instance in a domestic tournament.
The technology was to feature in the semi-finals on Wednesday but was not used eventually.
The stadium was near-empty during the semifinals which the Saudi and All India Football Federation (AIFF) officials attributed to a working day here and the absence of the Kerala team in the semi-finals. The officials are expecting more spectators on Saturday, which is a holiday here. (PTI)
