With Manipur being all finesse but no finish, and Services unable to make the most of their counter-breaks, the match looked headed for a penalty shootout, following a goalless 90 minutes plus the first-half of extra time. But Robikanta provided the final twist to the tale of missed opportunities in the 117th minute when he let the ball, following a long throw-in, ricochet off his palm onto defender PS Sumesh's hand, leading to the penalty.
Manipur's Thoiba Singh stepped up to fire his shot into the net, wrong-footing the goalkeeper. It broke Services hearts, but Manipur emerged deserving winners having dominated for the most part.
Services coach Jagmohan discarded the dazzling and, instead, embraced the defensive, ready to allow Manipur enjoy possession but not territory. It appeared to be a ploy whose efficacy was threatened by Manipur's pace and potency in the attacking third.
The north-east side should have gone ahead in the 15th when Nilakumar Singh made a mess of an opportunity. His first shot was turned away by a defender and the Manipur captain saw his second goal-bound attempt from close come back into play after hitting the upright before goalkeeper Robikanta Singh claimed the ball.
The Services defence continued to live on the edge and five minutes later, Santosh Singh was guilty of failing to push the ball into an open net, following a short intelligent cross from his captain. Veteran Tiken Singh then came alive, but he too followed the trend, sending a free header from the six-yard box over the crosspiece.
Manipur continued to flirt with opportunities but such was their unremitting pressure that Services' plans of catching the rivals off guard on the break hardly materialised.
Having survived Manipur's first-half onslaught, Services were forced to switch gears and turned ambitious. Arjun Tudu, who had earlier cut a forlorn figure in the attacking area, found the much-needed buoyancy in his stride as Jagmohan unleashed Shaji D'Silva in the 64th minute. Shaji was soon in the thick of action, his header missing the target by a whisker.
The teams returned to resume rivalry in extra-time with Manipur again showing urgency to seal the deal. But the forwards' inability to provide the finishing touch prolonged their wait.
Herojit Singh's volley kissed the crosspiece and N Jimmy Singh's failure to poke home from inside the six-yard box highlighted their anxious wait for the moment of truth. Then came a long throw-in by Herojit and the Services custodian's bloomer, which led to the denouement and sent the Manipur players delirious in joy.