Odisha experienced mixed luck in the East Zone Qualifying Round of the 71st Senior Men National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy, winning and losing one match each at Kumar Mangal Stadium in Bokaro. Led by Shekh Zahid, Odisha started their campaign with a thumping 5-1 win over Chhattisgarh on December 28, but suffered a 0-2 defeat in the second and last match against formidable West Bengal earlier on January 2.

Seikh Mustakim starred in the emphatic win against Chhattisgarh, scoring twice in the 47th and 72nd minutes. Seikh Shahabaaz Alam opened the floodgates, heading home in the sixth minute. Bijaya Ghallan made it 2-0 for Odisha in the 21st minute, while Harkit Singh reduced the margin for Chhattisgarh in the 39th minute. Rajak Nag capped the victory, netting the fifth goal for Odisha in the 93rd minute. In the second match, Odisha conceded the two goals in the 77th and 80th minutes after keeping their opponents at bay in the first half.

ODISHA TEAM: Goalkeepers: Soumya Ranjan Das, Chinmaya Sekhar Behera, Mansha Kissun Hembram. Defenders: Sk Shahanawaz Alam, D Srinath, Sk Shahabaaz Alam, Tanmoy Malik, Mohssin Khan, Gaurnaga Hansda, Jayanto Mahato. Mid-fielders: Mukesh Minz, Sujit Tirkey. Forwards: Rajak Nag, Bijaya Behera, Bijaya Ghallan, Sk Zahid (Captain), Sk Mustakim, Bikash Chandra Padhiary, Arjun Nayak (Vice-captain), Sanjit Khara.
Head coach: Subrata Bhattacharya, Coaches: Suraj Thapa, Saroj Kumar Das. Goalkeeping coach: Anindya Kumar Deb, Physio: Subhashirbad Das.