Santosh Trophy final LIVE SCORE, Kerala vs Services: KER v SSB into extra-time; Real-time Updates

Services maintained a string defensive line throughout the knockout stages of the tournament, securing clean sheets in the quarterfinals, semifinals and now the finals.

That proved to be the secret to its success against an aggressive Kerala side, which, despite having skilful Ajsal as its No. 9, failed to find the breakthrough.

And just when a tired Kerala lacked composure in marking, Pawar struck with a side-volley to insipre his side to a win in the final and an eighth Santosh Trophy title.

Services, the 2023-24 champion got the bragging rights back for the coveted trophy, with Abhishek Pawar scoring the decider in Assam.

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Services beats Kerala in extra-time to win Santosh Trophy 2025-26

It was the eighth Santosh Trophy title for Services, while seven-time champion Kerala lost its second final in a row.

The referee blows the full-time whistle and Services players sink to the ground in relief and joy. They have persevered, won and reclaimed the title.

Kerala looks more desperate than ever to find a way back into the match. It has maintained the upper hand in attack throughout the contest, but it is Services which looks to be heading for the win.

Pawar has been the nemesis of Kerala this season. The last time the two sides met, Services beat Kerala 1-0 in the round robin stage. The only goalscorer: Abhishek Pawar.

Abhishek Pawar scores for Services to finally find a breakthrough! Pawar, who had scored the winner against Kerala in their previous clash, scored his second of the tournament to put his team ahead.

Services is now pushing men forward, with Samuel’s cross in the final third almost leading to a goal. But Kerala stops the attack just in time to ensure the score remains level.

105 minutes of action and still the score remains locked at 0-0. The last time a final was decided on penalties, it was Kerala that ruled the roost. Will it be the same this time around? We will have to wait and watch.

The last time Kerala and Services met in the competition, it was the latter that won the match 1-0 in the round-robin stage.

Kerala attacks through the set-pieces, with Arjun’s corner hit on the volley by Muhammed Riyas. Gagandeep makes a crucial save to deny what could have been a potential winner.

Services’ Brijesh Giri fouls Muhammed Sinan along the right flank, but the resulting free-kick is cleared by Services’ defence.

Arjun V resumes play with a throw in as Kerala looks to find an opening to avoid spot kicks. But Services’ alert defence remains unshaken, so far in this match.

Services tries to find an opening through set pieces, with Roshan Panna looking to deliver the cross. Keralas defenders thwart the chance with a sliding tackle, and Samuel takes the resulting corner, which is header off-target by Services for a Kerala goal kick.

Abhishek Pawar gets the ball along the right and barges into the penalty box. He goes down, appealing for a penalty, but the referee gives a free-kick to Kerala instead.

The first half begins with both sides, Kerala and Services, looking more rushed, hungry for the title, hungry for the win. It remains to be seen who has the last laugh.

The referee, Jehrul Islam, blows the long whistle to indicate the end of regulation time of 90 minutes plus stoppage time. The match will now be decided through extra-time and if a decision does not come there, it will go into a penalty shootout.

Services goes for a slow build-up, progressing with the ball from the back to the midfield when Kerala steals the ball but fails to cross it into the middle as the ball goes out of play for a goal kick. Meanwhile, Asif is no longer able to continue and Muhammed Sinan replaces him.

Kerala looks to be playing for extra-time now, with all its men in its half as Services take a free-kick. Hajmal punches the ball out and Asif tries to control the ball. Mingte makes an attempt to steal the ball but ends up conceding a foul and earning a yellow card for his challenge from behind. Asif is bleeding on the field and is given immediate medical attention.

Services defender Deny Singh looks to have picked up an injury. His team’s medical team assists him to get back on his feet and then Viknesh goes for an attack along the left channel.

Viknesh takes a shot, which remains on target, but Gagandeep’s reflex save denies a certain goal, with the ball out for a corner. Arjun takes the corner, which almost goes in for an Olympic goal, but a touch off one of the Kerala players leads to the ball flying out of play for a Services goal kick.

Services is looking to drag Kerala out of its half to then attack on the counter in the last few minutes of regulation time. Meanwhile, Viknesh steals the ball off Services, but his cross is a bit late as the ball goes out of play for a Services goal kick.

Ajsal gets a pass from his left and tries a shot from outside the box. He fails to wrap his foot around the shot and the ball goes flying way off target, to the frustration of the young striker and thousands of Kerala fans following the match.

The match resumes with both sides making one substitution each in the second half. But nothing has seen Hajmal or Gagandeep, goalkeepers of Kerala and Services respectively, get beaten between the sticks today.

Nothing separates the two sides at the moment as the players pause for hydration in Assam.

Abhishek Pawar steps up to take the free-kick and hits the six-man wall of Kerala. Another opportunity to score goes begging in the match as it stares at the eventuality of extra-time.

Kerala had come into the match with four goals, but has failed to find a breakthrough so far, while Services now gets a free-kick after a hand-ball by one of Kerala’s players.

Kerala continues to knock on the door of Services, looking for an opening goal, but the white shirts stand guard, alert every second to make clearances right on time.

Ajsal gets the ball in the final third and then makes a brilliant turn, keeping the ball stuck to his feet. He beats one defender but another dispossesses him to ensure the youngster does not give Kerala an early reason to celebrate.

Zahir Khan makes way for Shubham Rana - a sort of a No. 8 player replaced with a No. 6. This could be another step to make the defence stronger.

Services look to have parked the bus on some capacity, sitting back in its own half and at times, even employing a sixth defender to populate the low block against an aggressive Kerala side.

Viknesh gets the ball into the final third along the right flank, minuses to Arjun, who tries to set up Ajsal in the box. Services’ defenders clears the ball again.

We are reaching the hour-mark in the match and the narrative remains almost the same as it has been from the beginning: constant attack by Kerala and watchful defending by Services.

Kerala shuffles its cards, bringing on Viknesh M for Shijiin. Viknesh was one of the goalscorers in the 4-0 win against Punjab in the semifinals, and will look to continue a similar momentum in the summit clash.

A battle to clear the ball sees Shijin hurt his head as he goes down, with Kerala’s medical team rushing to assist him. The match has been a tight contest, with neither side throwing the towel at any point of time.

Abhishek Pawar then tries to set up Zahir Khan with cross from the left flank. However, Kerala does its defensive duties well again and then goes on the counter, which Jijo Jerone puts to bed with a timely interception.

Services gets a corner early on in the second half, with Samuel taking the corner. However, Kerala clears the ball to try and prompt a counterattack. Services steal the ball back and tries to get back at Kerala when Shijin stops the attack with a rash challenge. Services gets a free-kick, which is again cleared by Kerala.

As the play resumes after the break, Kerala looks to up the ante to try and cross the last hurdle, something that it missed out on in the last season.

Kerala started with a wide attacking shape and went on the offence right from the beginning. It almost scored when Arjun left the woodwork shaking, but that was the closest chance it had since. Services goalkeeper Gagandeep must also be praised for making crucial saves amid constant bombardment by Kerala’s players.

On the other hand, Services will be happy to have stuck to its plan to defend with every resource available, keeping Kerala’s goalscorers - in this edition of the Santosh Trophy - at bay.

Despite Kerala dominating the attack throughout the first half, it failed to convert any of the chances, going into the break locked 0-0 with Services.

The dense low block of Kerala forces Services to test the goalkeeper from distance as Vijay lets in a right-footed shot, which goes off-target, without causing any trouble to Hajmal.

With a minute of regulation time in the first half, Kerala’s strategy looks clear: run out the half and start afresh again. But it still maintains possession in its own half, denying any opening to the Services.

Shijin gets a cross from the right and jumps to get a free-header. However, his attempt is just off target as the ball flies out of play over the net. Coach Shafeeq Hassan lets out a cold sigh as his side almost takes the lead.

Services’ biggest strength is its defence - one that saw it hold defending champion West Bengal to a goalless draw, before winning the contest 3-2 on penalties. Meanwhile, Kerala has gone all guns blazing throughout the tournament.

The dynamics truly make the match an unstoppable force against an immovable object.

Hajmal starts the build-up from the back, rolling the ball to his backline as Kerala march up the pitch. However, a foul close to the right corner flag gives Services a free-kick. Services then go up the pitch to see its final shot fly out for a goal kick.

Muhammad Ajsal is the target man for Kerala, while for Services, his counterpart is Abhishek Pawar, who scored twice in the semifinal to guide his team into the summit clash. However, the No. 34 has been denied any space to shoot so far into this match.

As play resumes after the cooling break, Ajsal gets a floated ball from the right flank. He tries to head the ball in when Gagandeep denies him the opener.

Sanju gets the ball as Kerala continues to dictate play in the final. Asif then drags the ball along the right flank, trying to barge into the box when a defensively astute Services blocks his run.

Arjun V decides to pull the trigger from the distance as he shifts to his left and then takes a shot from outside the box. However the ball hits the woodwork and comes out!

Kerala has dominated the attack so far, with Arjun and Ajsal combining in the final third. But Services remains on the prowl, with Abhishek moving in the box for a final ball to finish.

Arjun gets the ball in front of the penalty box and sets up Ajsal in the box. The forward almost scores when Services makes a block at the last moment, conceding a corner. The first corner is headed out for another. Arjun takes it again, and this time, the ball lands on top of the net.

The last time Kerala won the Santosh Trophy was in front of a packed house in Manjeri, beating West Bengal on penalties in 2022.

Services gets a corner kick, which is cleared by Kerala’s defence and then Vijay tries to create some trouble for Kerala. However, his poor finish sees the ball go out for a Kerala goal kick.

Ajsal gets the ball outside the box and makes a run into the box. He dribbles past two Services defenders and then attempts to launch a shot, which is ultimately blocked. Ajsal, who has come through the Kerala Blasters youth system, impressed in the Super League Kerala, scoring seven times for Calicut FC.

Arjun gets the ball up the pitch for Kerala but Services makes a timely interception to get the ball back in its possession. Kerala is playing in a wide-attacking formation of 4-4-2, while Services has decided to go with a conventional counterattacking 4-3-3 shape.

Services tries to play out from the back, with Gagandeep getting the ball to Chanambam as the ball moves from the midfield to the final third. Maibam then sends in a low cross, which is blocked by Kerala and a final touch off a Services player sees the ball go out for a goal kick.

Kerala goes for an attack on the counter, with build up through the centre. However, after Services thwarts that development, the last year’s runner-up sends in a floated ball into the box, which is controlled well by Gagandeep.

Services try to find an opening from distance with a free-kick, which is headed away by Kerala’s defence. Services last won the title in 2024, beating Goa in the final and is also looking for its eighth National title.

Kerala gets an early corner kick. The side was extremely dangerous with set pieces against Punjab, scoring the first two goals through build-up from the corners. Services, however, clear the ball this time.

Kerala gets the ball rolling in Assam. The team starts with Ajsal as one of the main strikers, a player who will join Kerala Blasters after the final.

Yes, if 90 minutes of regulation time plus stoppage time cannot decide the fate of the match, the match will have another 30 extra minutes. If the contest remains level even then, spot-kicks will decide the winner of this Santosh Trophy final.

The players walk onto the field. Kerala starts in yellow and red, while Services start from the other end.

Players of both sides have arrived at the stadium for the final and have taken the field for the last minutes of warm-up. A trophy awaits one of the sides, with the action set to begin in just under 30 minutes.

History, legacy, and redemption will all be on the line as the final promises a compelling contest of contrasting styles, where Kerala’s attacking firepower will be tested against Services’ trademark defensive discipline.

Kerala has been one of the most dominant sides in the tournament, having topped Group B with 10 points and carried that momentum into the knockouts with emphatic wins. It brushed aside host Assam 3-0 in the quarterfinals before producing a ruthless 4-0 demolition of Punjab in the semifinals.

Read the full preview below:

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Santosh Trophy 2025-26 Final Preview: Kerala faces Services in search of an eighth title

Kerala and Services will meet each other in the Santosh Trophy 2025-26 final on Sunday at the Dhakuakhana Football Stadium in Assam as both sides search for their eighth crown.

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Welcome to Sportstar’s blog of the Santosh Trophy 2025-26 final. The Men’s Senior National Championship has come to the very end, with this match deciding which team will lift the coveted trophy in Assam.

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