Odisha mens football team settled for the bronze medal in the 6th Khelo India Youth Games after losing to Punjab 0-1 in the semifinals at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on 29 January 2024. Meghalaya won the gold medal, defeating Punjab in the summit clash 2-0 today.
Odisha men team qualified for the semifinals by emerging Pool-B toppers with five points. They won one match and drew two. Odisha started campaign with a 1-1 draw against Jharkhand on January 23. Two days later, they held formidable West Bengal to 1-1 draw. In their third and last league match, Odisha defeated Goa 1-0 on January 27.
But Odisha women team came a cropper in the tournament, suffering defeats in all three matches at the league stage. Odisha women lost to West Bengal, Haryana and Tamil Nadu 0-1, 0-1 and 0-4 respectively.
ODISHA MENS FOOTBALL TEAM: Rishik Bagarti, Rahul Samal, Ajay Toppo, B Siba, Suraj Naik, Bishal Oram, Ganesh Naik, Chintu Nag, Duria Mahanta, Dasarath Hembram, Manjit Oram, Suresh Khadia, Rahul Soren, Agastin Munda, Prasant Bari, Anil Toppo, Abdul Nasir, Ajaya Soren, Chandra Mohan Purty, Indra Kujur.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PHOTO: Members Odisha mens football team pose with the bronze medal they won at the Khelo India Youth Games in Chennai on 29 January 2024.