Manipur strengthened their semi-final hopes with a 1-1 draw with Bengal while holders Punjab managed a late goal to beat Tamil Nadu by a solitary goal to keep their hopes alive in the Santosh Trophy on Thursday. In the first Group A match of the day,Bengal went into the lead in the 10th minute through Lalawmpuia but a 59th-minute strike by Manipurs Subhash Singh denied the 29-time champions a deserving win. Later,Punjab thrived on a 78th minute penalty conversion by Jagpreet Singh to beat Tamil Nadu 1-0 in the second Group A league match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Manipur are on top of Group A with four points from two matches while Punjab are second with three points from two games. Bengal and Tamil Nadu are on one point each after their 1-1 draw in their opening match. Manipur and Punjab need just a draw in their last quarter-final league matches against Tamil Nadu and Bengal respectively.
