Bengal to clash with Services in Santosh Trophy semi-final

Srinagar, Jun 11 (UNI) Last year's runners-up, West Bengal will face Services in the first semi-final of the 62nd National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy at the Bakshi Stadium here tomorrow.

Services, who have emerged as the surprise package in this tournament, won all their three quarter-final league matches to top ''Group-A'' with nine points. They are followed by defending champions Punjab who have six points.

In ''Group-B'' Karnataka won two matches to garner six points and pushed West Bengal to the second position with five points.

West Bengal, Punjab, Kerala and Maharashtra - the four semi-finalist in the 61st Santosh Trophy - were directly seeded into the quarter-finals while Services outclassed Tamil Nadu 5-0 in the pre-quarterfinals before entering the second stage.

Kerala, along with hosts Jammu and Kashmir, failed to reach the semi-finals in ''Group-A'' while Maharashtra and Goa were eliminated from ''Group-B''.

In the second semi-final, Punjab will meet Karnataka on Friday at the same venue.

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