Kerala has kicked-off its 68th Santosh Trophy 2014 South Zone qualifiers with a 0-1 defeat to Tamil Nadu in Chennai.
A. Raegan scored the winner for Tamil Nadu in the 32nd minute, when he put a Shantha Kumar cross past Kerala keeper Jean Christian.
Tamil Nadu dominated the match in front of approximately 2,000 spectators at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
Kerala had their chances to level the score line, but R. Kannan and Jijo Joseph failed to convert the opportunities.
Tamil Nadu managed to secure a vital 1-0 win in the opener and they will be full of confidence in their second qualifier against Andaman & Nicobar on January 30. Kerala will take on Andhra Pradesh in their second game on January 28.
Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh thrashed Andaman & Nicobar 5-0 in the other match of the 68th Santosh Trophy 2014 South Zone qualifiers on Sunday.