Tamil Nadu began their campaign in the final round of the 79th National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy with a narrow 1–0 victory over hosts Assam in the opening match on Tuesday.
The decisive goal came as early as the third minute, when Devadath S capitalised on a long ball over the Assam defence. Showing good control, he placed a right-footed shot into the top corner, leaving Assam goalkeeper Satyajit Bordoloi with no chance.
The early breakthrough allowed Tamil Nadu to settle quickly and control large phases of the game. Assam struggled to recover from the setback and found it difficult to create clear scoring opportunities in the first half.
Tamil Nadu nearly doubled their advantage before the break after being awarded a penalty when R Karthikeyan was brought down inside the box. However, M Umasankar’s spot-kick hit the woodwork, keeping Assam in contention.
In the second half, the hosts showed more intent and pushed men forward in search of an equaliser. Despite increased pressure, Assam were unable to break through Tamil Nadu’s organised defence, which held firm until the final whistle.
The win gave Tamil Nadu a positive start in the group stage of the final round, while Assam will look to regroup ahead of their next fixture as the competition progresses.
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