All hopes of earning a ticket for the semifinals of the 76th Senior Men National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy, went up in smoke for host Odisha as they lost to defending champions Kerala 1-0 in their do-or-die Group-A match in the Final Round at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar today.

A 16th-minute penalty conversion by Nijo Gilbert clinched victory for Kerala. This was the second defeat in four matches for Odisha, who slipped down to the fourth place in the group table with four points. Even if they beat Karnataka in their fifth and last league encounter on February 19, it would not be enough for them to advance to the top two and secure a semifinal berth.

The win over Odisha kept the semifinal hopes alive for Kerala, taking their tally to seven points. Punjab (10 ponts) and Karnataka (8 points), the two unbeaten teams so far, occuply the top two places in the group table. The final round of league games will help identify the two semifinalists from Group A.

In two other Group-A matches of the day, Punjab prevailed over Goa 3-1 at OSAP 7th Battalion Ground and Maharashtra held Karnataka to 3-3 draw at the same venue.
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PHOTO: Action from the Santosh Trophy match between Odisha and Kerala in Bhubaneswar on 17 February 2023.