Santosh Trophy: Odisha Stun 5-Time Champions Goa 4-1 At Kalinga Stadium

Bhubaneswar: Hosts Odisha pulled off a stunning 4-1 victory over five-time champions Goa in the final round of Santosh Trophy on Sunday.

Odisha established their ascendancy from the early stages of the Group A fixture at Kalinga Stadium. After midfielder Bikash Sahoo opened the scoring in the 11th minute, Chandra Murmu doubled the lead after 28 minutes.

Mohammed Faheez reduced the margin for eight-time finalists Goa seconds before half-time.

Changing ends with a 2-1 advantage, Rahul Mukhi scored in the 79th minute to further consolidate Odisha’s advantage.

Oram Anand completed Odisha’s emphatic win with a strike deep into injury time.

In other Group A games, Punjab edged past Maharashtra in a seven-goal thriller and Karnataka rode an early goal to beat Kerala 1-0.

Punjab led 1-0 and 2-1, before conceding two to Maharashtra midway through the second session.

However, Punjab showed great composure to not only equalise but snatch the winner a minute into injury time.

After two rounds of games, three teams – Odisha, Punjab and Karnataka – all have 4 points. But thanks to their superior goal difference, Odisha currently occupy top spot in Group A.