Hyderabad, Dec 17 (FN Agency) Delhi continued their winning run with a 2-0 win against Tamil Nadu, while Odisha earned their first victory of the 78th Senior National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy 2024-25 final rounds, defeating Goa by the same margin at the Deccan Arena, on Tuesday, The capital side maintain their perch atop the Group B table with six points from two matches; Odisha, on the other hand, hauled themselves up from the bottom to the third spot. Odisha bounced back from their initial defeat against Delhi, to beat Goa 2-0. The score remained goalless at half-time. After a first half that saw a midfield battle between the two sides, Odisha pulled up their socks after the restart against Goa. Forward Rahul Mukhi (60’), who was played through behind the Goa defence, entered the box and laced a low shot into the bottom corner to put Odisha in the lead.
The five-time Santosh Trophy champions were shellshocked, and Odisha capitalised on that to make it two just four minutes later. Put in charge of a close range free-kick, Kartik Hantal (64’) accurately placed the ball in the top corner, giving his side a two-goal cushion.With two 0-2 defeats from two matches, Goa remain the only team in Group B to have not scored a single point thus far. Delhi extended their winning streak in Santosh Trophy 2024-25 to five matches, after defeating Tamil Nadu 2-0. They led 1-0 at the breather. The capital side got off to a swift start, gaining the lead in the 7th minute itself, as Bhaaranyu Bansal produced a sublime left-footed volley into the bottom corner. Ashish Shaw (65’) capitalised on a miscued clearance to head it in from close range, doubling his side’s lead.Tamil Nadu remain fifth in Group B with a solitary point from their two matches so far.