Srinagar: J&K Football is on the brink of the historic qualification into the quaterfinal of the Santosh Trophy football tournament and also securing its place in the 38th National Games, Uttarakhandh after winning first match of final round group in the ongoing 78th National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy at the Deccan Arena on Saturday, December 21, 2024.
In its fourth match of the Group A , J&K defeated hosts Telangana by 3-0 goals to jump to fourth place in the group with four points. A draw against tournament favourites Manipur in earlier match have made J&K chances beighter and they just need a draw in its last match of the group against Rajasthan for qualification into quaterfinal and also securing National Games spot.
Earlier in the match vs Telangana, Jammu & Kashmir, who led at half-time thanks to Hayat Bashir’s fifth-minute opener, also had it straightforward against hosts Telangana. Captain Aakif Javaid did the hard work for the first goal, cutting a cross from the by-line with his left foot. An incoming Bashir had the simplest of tasks to score from a couple of yards out.
The second goal arrived from a short corner routine, with Dimple Bhagat swinging in a left-footed delivery in a crowded six-yard box for Arun Nagial to nod it in for his second goal of the final round. Javaid also got his second goal in as many matches in the 88th minute when the Telangana defenders failed to contain him at the top of the box, allowing him to rifle a left-footed shot into the bottom corner.
J&K 4-0 Telangana (Hayat Bashir 5′, Arun Nagial 74′, Aakif Javaid 88′).