Host Odisha suffered first defeat in the Final Round of the 76th Senior Men National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy, losing to Punjab by 2-1 goals in their third Group-A match at Capital Football Arena in Bhubaneswar today. This was the second win for Punjab.

After a barren first half, Punjab struck twice within seven minutes to take a commanding lead. Jang Bahadur Singh drew first blood in the 75th minute and substitute Kamaldeep made it 2-0 in the 82nd minute.

Odisha pulled one back when Anand Oram scored in the injury time (90+3). But it was too late for Odisha to score another goal and draw the match. Karnataka beat Goa 2-0 and defending champions Kerala were held to 4-4 draw in two other Group-A games of the day at Capital Football Arena and Kalinga Stadium respectively.

After three rounds, Punjab and Karnataka became joint-toppers in the group table with seven points each. They were followed by Kerala and Odisha with four points apiece. After fifth and last round, top two teams from the group will qualify for semifinals.
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PHOTO: Action from the Santosh Trophy match between Odisha and Punjab in Bhubaneswar on 14 February 2023.