Coach Bino George's training for penalties pays off for Kerala

Kerala's seventh triumph in the Santosh Trophy which came on the back of a dramatic penalty shootout victory over

West Bengal

at

Manjeri

on Monday is a testament to the never-say-die attitude instilled in the players by their coach

Bino George

.


After spurning a handful of chances during the regulation time, Kerala saw themselves a goal down after

Bengal

netted in the sixth minute of extra time. "We always believed we would equalise. You could see from our faces and body language that we never lost the belief. We kept fighting and managed to find a way back," said Kerala captain Jijo Joseph.

Substitutes Muhammed Safnad and

Noufal PN

combined for Kerala's equaliser with the former heading in a cross from the latter with just three minutes left on the clock. "Our mentality was that we would score two if they scored one. We had a lot of chances but couldn't convert. But we never gave up and tried till the last moments of extra time," said coach Bino.

Penalties, as they say, are anyone's game but the Kerala players were optimistic. "We were confident we would win the penalties as we had two great goalkeepers with us. Midhun V had made two saves against Bengal when we won the trophy in 2018 while

Hajmal S

is also a penalty specialist," said midfielder Jijo.

"We just had to score our penalties and leave the rest to them. Unfortunately, they missed their second attempt and that helped us lift the title," said the captain.

"We knew the shootout was always a possibility. So, we had given proper penalty training for the players and we had already decided who will take the kicks and in what order even before the kick-off," said Bino, Kerala's first AFC Pro Coaching License holder.

"I told them before the penalties it was their moment. If not in front of these passionate supporters, then when," said Bino. And fortunately for Kerala football fans, his players seized the moment on a historic night at Manjeri.

Skipper

Jijo

bows out on a high

Kerala captain Jijo Joseph on Monday announced his retirement from the state team after winning his second Santosh Trophy national football championship title.

The midfielder was one of the three players in the 2021-22 final round squad who were also part of the team that won the title in 2018 beating Bengal at Kolkata - the others being goalkeepers Midhun V and Hajmal S.

"Sometimes, people ask me why I am still playing for Kerala despite having a job. But I have been playing due to my passion for the sport," said Jijo, a veteran of seven Santosh Trophy tournaments.

"I am happy to call it quits by winning the trophy. I would have stopped even if we hadn't won. I was not planning to play this time but only did because coach Bino George compelled me to," said Jijo, who is employed by the State Bank of India.

"I have offers from some professional clubs. And the bank officials have told me I might be allowed leave to take up those offers. Otherwise, I am planning to apply for a job with the state government which will allow me to play," said 29-year-old Jijo.