Dipu mirdha

National Football Championship: The focus will be on traditional powerhouses like Goa, Kerala, Manipur and Services as the 77th National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy reaches its business end with eight teams set to battle it out in the knockout stage, which begins at the Golden Jubilee Stadium here, on Monday.

Out of the 37 teams that started the competition, the event is down to the last eight that will fight it out for the top prize of the state championship in India. Services, Goa, Kerala, and Assam have made it from Group A of the Final Round, while Manipur, Mizoram, Delhi and Railways have qualified from Group B.

The first quarterfinal pits Services against Railways -- the two traditional institutional sides in the Santosh Trophy that are looking to revive their glory days as they move deeper into the competition. Services are six-time champions, while Railways have won the trophy thrice.