West Bengal kicked off their campaign in the 75th Santosh Trophy with a tightly fought 1-0 victory over Punjab in the opening game of the tournament.
Right from the start, the tournament's two most successful teams attacked with fervour, intent on grabbing all three points to gain a strong foothold in Group A.
The chances flowed at both ends fairly quickly but the two teams went into the break locked in a stalemate.
West Bengal took control of proceedings more forcefully in the second half, holding possession for longer and stitching neater passes in midfield. They got their reward in the 61st minute, with the youngster Sajal Bag, drifting wide, beating his marker and crossing into the box. His delivery found Shubham Bhowmick perfectly placed near the penalty spot and the forward's first-time volley hit the inside of the far post and bounced in, leaving Harpreet Singh helpless.
As the minutes ticked by, both teams got more desperate, Punjab pouring forward in numbers, and West Bengal packing bodies to defend their slender lead.
With the last minute came the final bit of drama. Sheikh was again at the centre of it, crossing perfectly from the left, to set up Akashdeep Singh inside the box. The forward had the goal at his mercy, the defenders and the goalkeeper beaten. Unfortunately, he couldn't control his shot, or the pass, slicing wide, and falling to the grass in despair. West Bengal held on to ensure they had a winning start to the tournament.
( With inputs from ANI )
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