Meghalaya produced a spirited comeback to hold former champions Services to a 2–2 draw in a Group B match of the National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy 2025–26 at Silapathar, Assam, on Tuesday.
The contest became more challenging for Meghalaya in the closing stages after they were reduced to 10 men, forcing the side to defend resolutely for the final 15 minutes of the match.
Services took an early advantage through Jijo Jerone, who headed in a free-kick in the 20th minute, before Abhishek Pawar doubled the lead in the 34th minute with another header. Meghalaya, however, showed resilience and pulled one back in stoppage time of the first half, with Deibormame Tongper converting a header in the 45+1 minute following a cross from Owanijuh Pajuh.
Earlier, Meghalaya had a golden opportunity to equalise when Services conceded a penalty for handball in the box. However, Mebankhraw Wahlang’s spot kick in the 30th minute was saved by Services goalkeeper Gagandeep Singh.
Meghalaya continued to press in the second half and were rewarded in the 64th minute when Deibormame struck again, heading home from a Robertson Khongriah corner to level the scores at 2–2.
The momentum appeared to favour Meghalaya, but their attacking push was curtailed after Dawanchwa Challam was sent off in the 77th minute for a second yellow card offence. Despite the numerical disadvantage, Meghalaya defended stoutly to see out the match and secure a valuable point.
With the draw, Meghalaya now have five points from three matches, having earlier drawn with Punjab on January 24 and defeated Odisha in their opening fixture. However, they slipped to third place in Group B after Railways defeated Punjab 2–0 earlier in the day. Both Railways and Meghalaya are tied on five points, but Railways enjoy a superior goal difference.
The top four teams from each group will qualify for the quarterfinals.
Meghalaya will face Kerala in their next Group B encounter on Thursday at 2:00 PM in Silapathar. Kerala currently lead the group with seven points from three matches after edging past Odisha 1–0 earlier on Tuesday.