Odisha qualified for the final rounds of the 78th National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy from Group F qualifiers when they defeated Chhattisgarh 4-1 at the GNDU Sports Complex on Saturday.
Odisha won both matches in the three-team group to collect six points. They scored 10 goals and conceded two.
Odisha began their onslaught early and picked up the first goal in the fourth minute. Skillful striker Roshan Panna, always in the thick of things, did the initial spadework by cutting past a couple of defenders before sending a cross from the right. Jitu Muduli, who was waiting inside the area, gave the final touches with a deft header. Kartik Hantal, another notable creator of Odisha attacks, added the second goal in the 39th minute.
Odisha continued pounding the rival goal in the second half and picked up their third goal in the 53rd minute when Kartik Hantal added the second to his individual tally by making the most of a counter-attack. He ran into an empty Chhattisgarh box to slam home.
The next goal came a couple of minutes later. Muduli and Panna played among themselves to clear the defence before the latter found the target. Avishek Kunjam scored the consolation goal for Chhattisgarh off a penalty in the 84th minute.
Sunday fixtures:
Group A (Amritsar): Jammu and Kashmir vs Ladakh & Himachal Pradesh vs Punjab
Group E (Nalbari): Assam vs Meghalaya & Arunachal Pradesh vs Nagaland .
Group H (Kozhikode): Lakshadweep vs Railways & Kerala vs Pondicherry