Naseeb's brilliant volley takes Kerala to semifinals with narrow win over J&K

Naseeb Rahman scored the winner as Kerala edged a resolute Jammu & Kashmir 1-0 to reach the semifinals of the Santosh Trophy at the Deccan Arena in Hyderabad on Friday. The goal, a brilliant volley, came in the 72nd minute.
Kerala will take on Manipur in the semifinals on December 29, starting 7.30 pm.

For most of the quarterfinal match, Biby Thomas's Kerala struggled to break down Mehrajuddin Wadoo's sturdy J&K that challenged for every ball and threatened to hit on the counter.

After an even first half in which chances were limited to shots from the range, Kerala came back stronger. Joseph Justin forced a smart save from Majid Ahmad early in the second half and Nijo nearly curled one in with his left.

But for all their domination, Kerala struggled to break J&K defence for 70 minutes. In the 61st minute, Nijo was denied by Majid after the Kerala playmaker fired on target from a freekick.

Nijo, Muhammad Ajsal and Naseeb were among a handful of stars who had returned to the starting XI after Kerala tried a few youngsters in the inconsequential group game against Tamil Nadu.

Coach Biby almost had his best available XI on the pitch, with the exception of flying full-back Muhammed Musharaf. He did not make a substitution until the 71st minute when Musharaf and Arjun V were introduced. Within a minute, Kerala found their 30th goal of the campaign. Naseeb was well placed inside the box as a headed clearance fell kindly in front of him. The striker controlled the ball on his chest before firing home with his right.

In the 87th minute, Shahmeer Tariq was presented with a glorious opportunity to equalise. The midfielder had arrived in the box to meet a poor punch from Kerala goalkeeper Hajmal. But Tariq could not hit the target.

Kerala were the hot favourites coming into the match, having won four and drawn once in the final round, while J&K struggled to make the knockouts. But, with brave defending, the underdogs made Kerala earn their win. Wadoo's J&K did not just sit back and soak up the pressure; they threatened Kerala on the break. Talib Nazir and Adnan Ayub came close in the first half, but it was the missed half-chances that eventually led to their narrow defeat.