While the competition itself has come to newer horizons, with the semi-finals, third-place match and the final being held overseas for the first time, the two teams in the summit clash are also in somewhat unfamiliar territories; Karnataka are in the final for the first time since the 1975-7
It was a historic match for Indian football, and it ended with a fitting goal as Sheen Sohktung's 91st-minute strike added a page to the glorious history of Meghalaya. They came from behind to beat Punjab and make it into the final of the Santosh Trophy.
In the second semi-final, Karnataka played forthright football against strong contenders Services and emerged 3-1 winners with goals from Robin Yadav, Ankith P and M Sunil Kumar.
The Santosh Trophy's Arabian tale will get underway at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh and Punjab and Meghalaya will be the first to grace the hallowed turf, when they cross swords on Wednesday, March 1 at 5.30 pm IST, followed by the second semi-final, where Services will take
The state have never previously progressed to this stage of the tournament and will now vie for the title when the knockouts take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Their dream came true when they beat former champions West Bengal 2-1 in their concluding Group B encounter at the OFA 7th Battalio