Santosh Trophy: Punjab, Services, Karnataka, Meghalaya land in Riyadh for semifinals
Feb 27, 2023
Riyadh [Saudi Arabia], February 27 : All roads converge in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as four teams - Punjab, Services, Karnataka, and Meghalaya - alighted from their flights at the King Khalid International Airport to fight it out at the business end of the Santosh Trophy.
The buzz is in the air for all four sides, as they prepare to etch their names in the history books of this legacy competition.
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 on Karnataka at 9 pm IST at the same venue.
The two losing semi-finalists will face each other in the third-place Match at the King Fahd International Stadium, which will kick-off on March 4 at 6 pm IST, with the final being played the following day at the same venue at 9 pm IST.
MG Ramachandran, Head Coach of the Services team said after landing in Riyad said as quoted by an All India Football Federation (AIFF) press release, "The whole team is very excited to be a part of this historic tournament. We have come prepared to give our best in the semi-finals and eye the trophy next. We want to go home with our prize."
"It is a wonderful feeling. Everyone is excited and gearing up for the semi-final match. I can see that the boys are going to experience something very different," Khlain Syiemlieh, head coach of Meghalaya team said.
Meanwhile, Punjab head coach Harpreet Saini believes that this tournament will serve as an important step forward for the development of the players and said, "Everyone is so thrilled to have come to Riyadh and participate in the Santosh Trophy. It is the time to be focussed on the job, what we are here for."
Karnataka head coach Ravi Babu Raju said, "This is a very important tournament and we are delighted to be here. It is the first time ever that any team will be playing the Santosh Trophy on foreign soil which is surely a historic moment. It's time to show what everyone is capable of."
