Defending champions West Bengal scored a late winner to maintain their perfect record in the final round of the 79th Santosh Trophy in Assam.

Substitute Naro Hari Shrestha scored brilliantly on 90+7 minutes to give Bengal a 1-0 victory against Uttarakhand at the Dhakuakhana Football Stadium on Friday.

Sanjoy Sen's Bengal began with a 4-0 win over Nagaland. Bengal top Group A with 6 points, and are joined by Rajasthan, who beat Tamil Nadu, 1-0, the same day.

In the Bengal match, Uttarakhand failed to clear a deep free-kick that landed on their goalmouth. Shrestha, with his back to the goal, somehow controlled a headed pass and took away a shot even as he slipped. The connection on the half-volley was timed so well that it sailed into the top left corner, leaving the Uttarakhand goalkeeper Abhay unmoved.

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Kerala will take on Railways in their second match at Silapathar on Saturday. The match will kick off at 9 am and can be streamed live on the FIFA+ channel.

Kerala began with a resilient 3-1 win over Punjab the other day. Bengal had edged Kerala 1-0 with a late goal in last year's final.

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