*Punjab beat J&K by 1-0
Excelsior Sports Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 19: The Jammu & Kashmir football team was eliminated from the 79th Santosh Trophy National Football Championship 2025-26 after suffering a 1-0 defeat against Punjab today at the Principal Harbhajan Sports Stadium, Mahilpur, Punjab. The lone goal for Punjab was scored by Himanshu Jangra.
Earlier, J&K had beaten Himachal Pradesh by 3-0 in their Group-A match and started the tournament with an impressive 3-0 victory over Ladakh. Despite this strong start, the team failed to progress beyond the league stage, disappointing fans who recalled that last year J&K had reached the quarterfinals.
A senior official of Jammu & Kashmir Sports Council said, “J&K football team has been out of the tournament after they lost the match to Punjab today. Both teams had won two matches each and today was the eliminator in which Punjab qualified for the next stage.”
The team’s early exit has also reignited criticism over the selection process, which had already come under scrutiny. On December 17, the Government of Jammu and Kashmir formed a high-level enquiry committee to probe the controversy surrounding the selection of players for the Santosh Trophy 2025.
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